Frustrations Of The Wrong Kind
by MythicWolf04
Summary: The day has finally come for Fox to join the Flight Academy, but he doesn't get what he bargained for. A complete stranger is his roommate, and he finds himself experiencing new and strange emotions he's never felt before. Fox will either try to find a way to figure them out or ignore them. [Wolf/Fox]
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I'm working on revising this story, so ignore the sharp contrast in writing quality for a little bit and bear with me.

* * *

Fox's father, James,m Mccloud, always said that the Cornerian Flight Academy would be a good experience for him. He said Fox would make plenty of new friends, and learn discipline. Of course, he'd learn how to pilot fighters, as well, and it sounded like it would be a great time, and the vulpine was inclined to think that way, but then the day came that he'd be dropped there.

The time leading to his departure passed by in a rush, with Fox and James packing for the former's stay and the latter's latest mission. It was an unfortunate coincidence that James would have to leave for a mission with Peppy and another man, Pigma at the same time Fox would be starting school. Apparently, Andross was up to something big, and Fox's dad was the best option to go. Fox really wished he didn't have to leave, but apparently, he had no choice. Because of this, they were both packing to leave.

"Hey Dad? What's the Academy like?" Fox asked him as they hauled their bags into the car. He chuckled as he shut the hood.

"Fox, you've asked this plenty of times before, and as I've said, it's a good experience. You learn new things, meet new people, and you get a dorm mate. Oh... did I mention that before?" James asked, scratching his head. Fox shook his head, getting in the passenger seat.

"No you didn't, dad! What's that about? Dorm mates?" The young vulpine asked excitedly.

James started up the car, and pulled out of the driveway onto the road, putting his sunglasses on. "Well, it's basically like a roommate, except for the fact that you do everything together with that person, and it teaches teamwork. You know who mine was?" He asked.

"Was it Peppy?" Fox asked, grinning. His dad nodded.

"Yeah. I hope you'll get someone you can stand. Apparently, I was one of the lucky ones," His dad remarked, chuckling.

"Hope I get Bill, Falco, or Slippy," Fox muttered with a sigh.

"Well, you don't get to decide, which sucks," he replied. The vulpine could see the Air Force Base just about now. Cornerian ships were flying all about the place in the sky far above the car, and they reminded him of a question he needed to ask his dad.

"Hey… dad? How long will you be gone?" Fox asked, looking over at him. James's face changed into a sad expression, his ears drooping.

"Fox… I don't know. I have to go to Venom, and the trip itself will take six months, maybe longer. Then it's another six back, and that all depends on what happens between then. Andross is preparing for something big... I wish I knew what it was. I might not be back until your first year here is finished," he explained, grimacing. The vulpine felt his ears pin to his head.

"Well… as long as you get back, dad. I'm cool with it all. I just wish you didn't have to leave," Fox whispered. James nodded in understanding.

"I wish I didn't have to either. We really need a break after what happened with Vixy, but Pepper called in a favor, so I couldn't say no," he replied. The car was pulling into the Academy as he spoke.

"I know, dad. Just be careful out there," Fox replied. James stopped the car by the curb near the front of the building. The main portion itself was a tall, gunmetal green block sticking out into the sky. It didn't look appealing, but Fox figured there was more out of eyeshot.

"The complex sprawls out much farther than you can see. This is just the administration building," James explained as he shut the car off.

"I thought so," Fox said, getting out of the car and moving to the trunk. He opened it and grabbed a large backpack and suitcase. James's remained inside. After he shut the hood, they walked over to the entrance to the Academy. Other students and parents were trickling in, but Fox knew James wouldn't go, because Fox could handle himself.

"Alright, son, this is it. Cornerian Flight Academy," James said. "This will either shape up to be the best or worst few years of your life, so make them count. And remember, whatever you do, don't fall in love. Lord knows how many other hormonal fifteen year old freshmen there are in this place."

"Dad!" Fox exclaimed in embarrassment, blushing hard. James chuckled.

"I'm proud of you, son. Remember, I'll call you on that PDA when I can. I'll always be in touch if you need something. Good luck out there!" The older vulpine exclaimed, pulling Fox into a fierce hug. He returned it, and a moment later, they broke off. Fox smiled at him, adjusting his heavy bag.

"Bye, dad. I'll call when I can. I love you," the vulpine said, walking towards the Academy.

"I love you too, son. See you around, Fox," James replied. Fox didn't look back, and instead walked straight into the building. James be alright. He always made it back from his missions.

The main lobby was busy, with students rushing all throughout, and heading through different corridors. Fox looked around for someone to get his room number and schedule from, and saw an attendant at the front desk who didn't look busy. He walked over to her, and she smiled brightly at him.

"Hello, another new face! What's your name, sweetie?" She asked, looking at Fox. He smiled awkwardly.

"F- Fox. Fox McCloud," he said, scratching his head. Sometimes, he forgot that he was related to a celebrity. Her face lit up in recognition.

"Ah, you're James's boy. I'm Ms. Spaniel, but just call me Fay, darlin'. I'm an office aide. Anyway, here's your schedule and room number. Classes start tomorrow, but everybody's schedule is different to prevent overcrowding. Don't be late!" She exclaimed, handing the vulpine a slip of paper and a keycard. He waved goodbye, and proceeded to look down at the items in his hands.

"Huh. Room number… four hundred seven. Dorm mate… Wolf O'Donnell. Wonder who he is," Fox muttered, walking off to a hallway marked DORMS.

It seemed that everybody was headed that direction, so the vulpine had to squeeze through the halls. They extended quite a ways from the administration bulding, apparently, but that was alright. Walking wasn't a terrible chore, after all. He managed to escape up a stairwell at one point, and climbed up to the fourth floor, avoiding people rushing down the stairs. It really shocked him to see how many people couldn't figure things out for themselves, judging by their extremely confused faces.

Fox climbed the stairs, managing to avoid losing anything, and reached the fourth floor. From the looks of things, the dorms had five floors, separated by gender. Probably prevented some sexual mishaps. The vulpine shuddered at that thought.

"Four oh seven, four oh seven," he muttered to himself, walking down the near empty grey halls. Fox guessed that more people stayed on the first three floors. The less noise, the better.

Fox wondered what my roommate was going to be like. _Wolf... he_ _sounds alright. What if he's a smartass? What if he's incredibly stuck up and obnoxious? Dad said that these years would either be the worst or best in my life, so what if my dorm mate is the deciding factor?_ He shook the thoughts out of his head, focusing on finding his room.

About every thirty feet on either side of the hallway was a door. Fox kept going, and eventually, found the correct door, 407, only a small ways away from a stairwell, which was very convenient. If Wolf was in there, the vulpine couldn't hear him.

Taking a breath, Fox slid the card down a slot by the door, and he heard the clank of it unlocking. He slid the key card into my coat pockets and opened the door, stepping inside.

The doorway opened into a small living room, with a single sofa, coffee table, and sizable TV. There were three other doors extending from the living room, extending into a bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom.

"Hey, anyone else home?" Fox called out cautiously. He received no answer.

He stepped into the kitchen, which was deserted. It contained a stove, microwave, refrigerator, and some cupboards, and a washer and dryer stood in the corner. The vulpine then walked into the bathroom, which was small, with a sink, toilet, and single shower.

"Alright. Very spartan furnishings," Fox muttered, walking back out. He walked into the bedroom, dropping his bag and suitcase in a corner.

When Fox looked up and over to the bunks, he was met with deep purple eyes staring at him. His stomach twisted itself into knots as he looked at the figure laying on the bottom bunk.

He was a grey and white wolf wearing a black tank top exposing toned muscle, as well as blue jeans and headphones. Fox couldn't find it in him to tear himself away from those purple eyes, though.

Clearing his throat, the vulpine muttered, "Hey. I'm your dorm mate."

Wolf opened his mouth to speak, but first took his headphones off, hanging them around his neck. "Huh? What'd you say?" He asked, his voice gruff and deep.

Fox blinked. "Oh! Uh… I said hey. I'm Fox, your dorm mate," he said, glancing around the room and avoiding his eyes. A large window took up the space of the wall to his right, and a desk and chair were situated in front of it. Wolf's bags were dropped by his bed.

"Oh. I'm Wolf. Got here about an hour ago," he replied, giving a weak half-smile. Fox's stomach starting twisting again. What's wrong with you? He chastised himself.

"I guess we have the same schedule. Mind if I… sit down?" The vulpine asked _. I hope I didn't blow any chance I had of…_

"Sure, I don't care," Wolf said, changing to a sitting position and patting the bed next to him. Fox sat down, unsure of what his thoughts wanted to form.

Fox cleared his throat again, his hands fidgeting. "So… who dropped you off here?" The vulpine asked, taking that slip of paper with his schedule out of his coat pocket. Wolf's expression depended into a scowl; that wasn't a good look for him.

"I'd rather not say, if that's all good with you," he muttered, looking away. Fox nodded, deciding to change the subject. I hope _I didn't…_

"Okay, sorry, I won't pry." Fox cleared his throat, feeling bad for bringing the problem up. "Anyway, let's see here. Wow, our first class isn't until ten, and it's combat training. Second is… flight tactics… lunch after that… then individual flying simulators, and finally… team simulators," the vulpine said, looking over the list. Wolf looked back over at him with a pleased look on his face, which caused Fox's ears to catch fire.

"Well, I'm looking forward to that. Glad we get to sleep in, too, huh?" Wolf asked, smiling.

"Uh huh," the vulpine muttered, avoiding his gaze. "We should probably unpack."

"Yeah. You're probably right," Wolf replied, getting up off the bed and moving to his suitcase. Fox did the same, unzipping his and grabbing all of his toiletries.

Fox avoided his gaze as he walked out of the bedroom with his bags in hand and trudged into the bathroom. There were two cupboards by the sink, so the vulpine figured he'd leave everything he owned in one. He took his toothbrush and set it in the holder provided, then put his shower stuff in a niche within it. Fox then heard muffled clanking, and a swear from the kitchen. That made him laugh silently as he walked back to the bedroom.

From what Fox had seen of him, Wolf didn't seem too bad. He was pretty carefree, but he hoped that didn't spell trouble for them.

Fox nearly slammed into Wolf as we both walked back into the bedroom, and he muttered an apology. When his arm brushed against the vulpine's, his face felt hot and he quickly shuffled to his bag, grabbing his PDA from it.

"You've got one of those old things? They're pretty ancient, Fox," Wolf remarked from the desk, as he had seemingly finished his unpacking.

"What, the PDA?" Fox asked, walking over to the desk, to which Wolf nodded. "It's my dad's. Or... one of them. He said to keep in touch. My old man's always a little paranoid, and only uses these. They're reliable as all hell, though," the vulpine explained.

"I see. Well… I've just got a regular phone, you know. It's not that great either," Wolf said, producing a beat up, cracked smartphone. Fox nodded, unsure of what to say next. The lupine stared at him with those purple eyes, and his stomach started to twist back up in knots. W _hat the fuck is happening to me?_

Wolf cleared his throat. "Well, since we're dorm mates, it's stupid for us not to have each other's phone numbers, right? Unless your PDA doesn't do that," he said softly.

"No, it does. We can do that," Fox said a bit too excitedly. Wolf and the vulpine exchanged phone numbers, and the latter sat down on the bottom bunk bed, shoving his PDA in his pocket.

"It's getting pretty late, Fox. Want something to eat?" Wolf asked, looking over at him expectantly.

"Sure. Should we go out to the cafeteria, or something?" Fox asked, not sure where the eating places were in the Academy.

Wolf scoffed. "Cafeteria food is shit. Why do that, when I can cook for myself?" He asked, and the vulpine looked up at him, his mood brightening instantly.

"You can cook?" Fox asked in mild surprise, for he didn't take Wolf to be into culinary things.

"Yeah, it's fun. Why else do you think I was back at the kitchen earlier?" He chuckled. "Anyway, I brought plenty of ingredients, so what do you want for dinner?" Wolf asked.

Fox knew exactly what he wanted, if Wolf could make it. "Can you make spaghetti?" The vulpine asked, grinning.

Wolf scoffed once more. "Simple. If that's what you want, I'll get started on it," he said, getting up. Fox smiled gratefully.

"I was just craving some. My dad made the most awesome spaghetti when I was little," the vulpine explained as he followed Wolf into the kitchen. The lupine began grabbing pots and other supplies from the cupboards. He really had unpacked incredibly fast, Fox noted with surprise.

Wolf hummed. "Ah, I see. Is he…." He trailed off, misunderstanding the context.

"No, he's not gone. Dad's just on a mission. He works for the Cornerian Army occasionally. His name is James McCloud," the vulpine explained self consciously.

"Ah, you're his kid. Cool, cool. Anyway, this will take a bit to make, so go relax in the living room and I'll take care of everything up here," Wolf said dismissively. Fox nodded, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch. He grabbed the TV remote, turning it on to a news channel.

Fox was strangely glad that Wolf didn't think differently of him because of the whole 'related to a celebrity' thing. It was strangely refreshing, for everyone else treated him that way. He blushed at the thought.

"God, what's wrong with me today?" Fox asked himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was just nerves at meeting someone new. He was always apprehensive in those circumstances, right?

The vulpine pulled his PDA out of his pocket and opened it to see some new messages from Falco. He looked at them, not surprised he had missed them during his encounter with Wolf.

FROM: FALCO L.

Hey, man, you at the Academy?

FROM: FALCO L.

Got everything situated at your place? Who's your dorm mate?

FROM: FALCO L.

Bill, Slippy, and I are at the courtyard right now. You wanna hang?

Fox snorted in amusement. He was alright with hanging out with Wolf for the rest of the night. The vulpine started typing a response.

TO: FALCO L.

Yes, I'm moved in. My dorm mate is a guy called Wolf O'Donnell. He's a pretty cool guy. And no, I'm eating dinner with him. He's a good cook.

A few moments passed, and then Falco's reply appeared.

FROM: FALCO L.

Wow, already ditching us for a nice date with your new boyfriend?

Fox found himself blushing hard, and he groaned. What was he thinking?

"What? What is it, Fox?" Wolf asked from the kitchen. The vulpine felt his ears heating up.

"My friend is being a prick. C'mere," Fox replied with a groan. He heard the sound of a pan being placed on the stove, and saw Wolf walking in with a black apron titled 'Kiss the chef' tied around him. Wordlessly, the vulpine showed him the texts. A few seconds later, Wolf snorted with laughter.

"Man, I love your friends already! Give the PDA here, I have an idea!" The lupine exclaimed, laughing. Fox chuckled, handing him the PDA.

Wolf began to type, and Fox watched him with morbid curiosity. He had an idea for what the lupine wanted to do. A moment later, Wolf handed the PDA back to him, cackling. Fox looked at the latest sent text.

TO: FALCO L.

This is Wolf. Don't come to our dorm room tonight, we'll be boning. And by the way: he's taken now. Don't bother.

Fox found himself blushing even harder than before, and he reached over to smack Wolf. The lupine yelped in surprise, rubbing his arm.

"You're a dick, Wolf," the vulpine said, but there wasn't malice in his tone.

Wolf wrung his hands. "Alright, I'm sorry, I was just trying to have fun!" He snickered. " Anyway, let me get back to finishing dinner." He walked back into the kitchen, and Fox glanced back over at Wolf's words, a warm feeling in his chest.

What was wrong with him? He couldn't even begin to figure it out.

FROM: FALCO L.

Dude, what the fuck? Are you serious?

Fox chuckled, deciding to go with Wolf's stupid idea.

TO: FALCO L.

This is Fox again. And yes, don't come over if you know what's good for you.

The vulpine grinned deviously, turning his PDA off and setting it on the coffee table, deciding to let Falco mull over his words.

"I went with your plan; I'm hoping I'll freak Falco out!" Fox called, and he heard more deep and lovely laughter coming from the kitchen.

"Can't wait to see the look on his face! Now hold on, I'm bringing the food over!" The lupine called back.

A minute or so later, Wolf, sans apron, walked to the living room with two big bowls of spaghetti in his arms. He handed one to Fox and sat next to him.

"I think it's stupid that we don't get a dining table in these places," the lupine grumbled, taking his fork and stsrting to dig into the food. Fox nodded, doing the same. It certainly smelled delicious, and if that was any indication, it would surely be heavenly.

"Maybe it's just a space issue. Just be grateful you got a nice kitchen and- oh man this is heaven," Fox murmured in surprise after taking a large forkfull of the noodles. It was one of the best things he had ever tasted, which was an impressive feat when comparing it to his dad's cooking.

Wolf smiled gratefully. "You really think so? Nobody else has ever bothered to try my food," he stated sadly, and Fox nodded vigorously while taking another bite.

"This is the best I've ever had. I don't want anything but your cooking ever again, Wolf," the vulpine said again in between large mouthfuls of spaghetti. He meant those words, too.

"Thanks, Fox. That really means a lot to me," the lupine replied sincerely, ruffling Fox's headfur. His face almost immediately began to heat up, and he was suddenly very thankful of the thick fur covering his face.

The two canines then continued to watch their dinner in comfortable silence, watching the news reports on the TV. Most of it was just boring politics crap that Fox never cared about, since he couldn't exactly do much about it for a few years anyway.

The spaghetti was quickly wolfed down, and the two brought their bowls and forks back to the kitchen and set them in the sink to be washed later. They walked to their bedroom after Fox grabbed his PDA, and Wolf grabbed a set of clothing to change into.

"I'll go shower and get changed and stuff in the bathroom," he stated, grabbing his toiletries. Fox decided he'd wake up early and shower in the morning.

"Alright, that's cool, Wolf," the vulpine replied, watching him disappear from the doorway.

Fox sighed, grabbing a pair of sweats and a white tee from his suitcase. He quickly changed into them once he heard the shower being turned on in the other room. The vulpine sifted through his backpack until he found a blanket and pillow, and then he climbed up to the top bunk and made his bed. He lay down on it, and stared at the wall, waiting for Wolf to finish.

Fox wondered why he was paired up with Wolf. Was it just a random coincidence, or did somebody think they were compatible? Either way, it seemed to be working out for the better, at least for the moment.

The vulpine heard the shower being switched off, and he rolled over to see a clean-looking Wolf wearing nothing but black boxers walk back in. He had finely toned muscle all over his body, probably from years of working out. Fox swallowed heavily, trying to look anywhere but at his dorm mate.

"Hey. Ready for our first day tomorrow?" The vulpine asked, giving a weak smile. Wolf nodded excitedly, grinning back.

"Yeah, course I am. I'm just hoping we will get to fly pretty soon," the lupine remarked, climbing into the bottom bunk after turning out the lights.

Fox took a breath. "Yeah, me too." He mulled over his next words for a second before opening his mouth again. "You know, you're pretty cool, Wolf. Don't you have any other friends here?" He asked.

He heard a sigh from below him. "No, never had many friends. They always left me, so I came here for a fresh start, Fox. No strings attached," Wolf explained. Fox nodded to himself.

"Well… we could be friends. You think?" The vulpine asked, then grimaced at how immature he sounded.

Wolf chuckled. "Yeah, I think so. I like you, Fox. You're a pretty cool guy," he said. Fox smiled, his ears heating up.

"Thanks. Night, Wolf," he replied.

"Goodnight, Fox," the lupine murmured.

Fox shut his eyes, and searched for sleep and a break from reality. That would take more than a few moments, however, as Wolf started to snore softly. It wasn't obnoxious, just a little distracting and jarring.

He wondered why he was so nervous around his new dorm mate.


	2. Chapter 2

Fox blinked the sleep away from his eyes, and climbed down his bed to check the time. About seven thirty in the morning. Another two and a half hours until his and Wolf's first class of the day. He needed to get ready for that, first.

The vulpine crept down off of the top bunk, and looked in the bottom one to see Wolf huddled up in a ball. Gently, he prodded the lupine until he groaned awake.

"Huh? Whozzat?" Wolf asked blearily, basically falling out of bed. Fox snorted, smiling.

"Get up, get dressed. We've got class in a few hours. Besides, I figured you could fix breakfast, if you're okay with that," the vulpine said, walking to his suitcase and grabbing the uniform given to him that was required for all students. It consisted of green pants, and a black and green top. Apparently, shoe choice didn't matter.

"Course I am," the lupine replied, rubbing his eyes. "I'll fix eggs, or something. Coffee, too."

"Sounds good. I'm gonna shower," Fox replied, walking out of the room with his clothing. He stepped into the bathroom, closing and locking the door, and turned the shower on.

Before the mirror misted over, the vulpine stared into it at his reflection. He looked nervous, a little tired, and apprehensive. Maybe it was because of school, maybe it was something else. He didn't know. He was scared to find out.

-o0o-

Fox exited the bathroom, dressed and all, about ten minutes later. He was hit with the rich smell of bacon and coffee, and his mouth watered. The vulpine walked in to the kitchen to see eggs and bacon on the pan, and two mugs of coffee ready. Wolf had put his uniform on, as well, leaving the top button undone. Green really didn't suit him.

"Ah, there you are! Breakfast is served, Fox!" Wolf exclaimed happily, shoving a plate fully of bacon and eggs into Fox's hands. He smiled.

"Thanks, Wolf. This looks great," the vulpine replied, grabbing a cup of coffee. Wolf grasped his shoulder, grinning.

"You need your strength for combat training, don't you? Eat up," the lupine remarked. Fox's face heated up at the contact, and he nodded stupidly.

Fox muttered something about grabbing some things and got up to go into their room. His thoughts were racing after that short amount of contact between them, but he couldn't pick them apart. Shaking his head, the vulpine hurriedly put on his boots, scarf, and grabbed his PDA. He then walked back into the living room, and Wolf shot him a questioning look as he dug into his food.

"God, this is better than last night's stuff!" Fox exclaimed in between huge bites. He took a long draft of the coffee; it was amazing, as well.

Wolf smiled slightly. "Thanks, Fox. Hey… what's with the scarf?" He asked, looking at the crimson piece of fabric.

"Oh... it was my mom's. I kept it after… well… you know. It's all I have left of her anymore," Fox explained, tugging at the scarf. He refused to mope on his first day, especially not in front of his new friend.

Wolf's ears flattened. "Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

Fox cut him off. "It's okay, Wolf. Don't worry, I'm fine," he said. The vulpine decided to change the subject. "Hey, let's see what Falco said. I turned my PDA off after I sent a message last night," he said, grinning slyly and grabbing his PDA.

Wolf looked over his shoulder as he opened the device. There were a few new messages from Falco.

FROM: FALCO L.

Uh, dude, what the fuck? You're banging your dorm mate?

FROM: FALCO L.

Stop screwing around with me! You aren't serious, right?

FROM: FALCO L.

Oh, God, you are. Shit, we're gonna have a talk tomorrow. Courtyard.

Wolf proceeded to nearly snort out his coffee through his nose with laughter after reading the messages. Fox chuckled, as well.

"Oh man, that's great!" The lupine exclaimed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yeah. Do… do you wanna keep going with this? Screw with him even more?" Fox asked, his face heating. He looked into those purple eyes for an answer.

"If we get this kind of reaction from your friends, I'm all for it," Wolf replied, grinning.

"Good. I haven't been able to properly mess with them in such a long time," Fox remarked, trying to finish the rest of his breakfast. They still had plenty of time left before the first class, but the vulpine wanted to find his friends.

"Do you know where the combat training center is?" Wolf asked, draining the last drips of coffee from his mug. Fox shook his head.

"No, but I'll figure it out. They've gotta have maps, right?" The vulpine questioned, finishing off the last of his egg and bacon. He burped in content.

"Very attractive there, Fox," the lupine stated, grinning slightly. Fox blushed, looking away.

"Shut up. It was really great. I love your food," the vulpine muttered, getting up to put the dishes away.

"I'm glad you like my cooking. I try really hard to make it perfect for you," Wolf replied, a smile evident in his tone. Fox's chest felt warm as he set the mug and plate in the sink. He readjusted his scarf, walking back to the living room.

"So… we've gotta meet my friends, right? Freak them out?" The vulpine asked, looking down at Wolf. He nodded.

"Of course. Let's get going, then," he replied, getting up. Fox walked over to the door and unlocked it, stepping out. Wolf followed him. The vulpine closed the door, relocking it, and they started walking down the hallways.

"Where are we meeting all of them, Fox?" Wolf asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"The courtyard. I'm pretty sure I know where it is. My dad showed me around the place before I enrolled. It's not too complicated, you know," Fox remarked as they started walking down the stairwell. He didn't see all too many students, compared to yesterday. That was good.

"Alright."

The vulpine led them on down the stairs, and they reached the first floor dorms. Fox walked into the main portion of the place, and turned towards the opposite door from where he walked in the day before. Wolf kept close behind him.

Fox wondered why he had such a huge interest in Wolf. Maybe it was the lupine's mysterious past, or his personality quirks. His piercing amethyst eyes? He didn't know. All he really thought was that he liked Wolf. He was a pretty cool person.

Fox kept down the hall, and he came upon a set of double doors. He pushed them open, and was met with the sight of a large grass field enclosed by portions of the Academy. It had huge oak trees scattered throughout it, and a path winding through to another set of doors on the opposite end.

"Wow, okay. This is nice," Wolf muttered, glancing around. The air was chilly, with the sun just starting to rise.

"Yeah, I like it. Look, there's my friends, Wolf," Fox said, pointing to a small group of people hanging out around one of the trees in the center of the field. It looked to be Falco, Slippy, and Bill.

The lupine grinned slyly. "So how do you want to approach this? All the way?" He asked. Fox hummed.

"Yeah. Why not?" The vulpine asked, smiling.

"Alright. So, you're gonna have to act sore, okay? Like it was your first time. As for the rest; play along, alright?" Wolf asked. Fox nodded, his face heating.

The lupine then proceeded to grab his hand, much to the latter's embarrassment, and walked toward Fox's friends. They didn't seem to notice the two approach, as they were wrapped up in conversation, until Wolf started speaking.

"It's a good thing those walls are soundproofed, huh? The whole dorm would've heard your moaning," the lupine remarked as if they were carrying a conversation. Fox's entire face heated, and he was suddenly incredibly grateful for the thick fur covering his head. Wolf made sure to keep his grasp on the vulpine's hand.

"My moaning? I'm pretty sure it was all you," Fox remarked as they came upon Falco and the others. They all turned to hear the conversation with shocked looks on their faces.

"Whatever. Tell that to your ass," Wolf replied, grinning. Fox pretended to wince, rubbing it.

"I'm sorry, what the fuck?" Falco squaked in pure confusion and shock.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Fox said, looking at the avian. "This is Wolf. My dorm mate," he introduced. Wolf waved with his free hand.

Falco blinked. "You… and you…. You two actually banged?" He asked crudely. Fox's ears felt warm.

"I mean… that's what I told you last night, right?" Wolf asked, smiling coyly.

It was Bill's turn to speak up. "Dude. Told you, but did you listen? No. I'm always right," the dog muttered, kicking his feet.

"Alright, maybe you were, Bill. Good grief," Slippy rubbed his head in exhaustion. They held varying expressions of confusion. Fox checked the time. About nine thirty.

"Anyway… do any of you know where the combat training center is?" Fox asked. He was still painfully aware of Wolf's hand holding his.

"I do," Slippy said. "It's on the other side of the courtyard, down that hallway for awhile. You'll see it," he explained.

Fox nodded. "Thank you, Slippy. Should we get going, Wolf?" The vulpine asked, looking over at Wolf.

"Yeah. Hope you can survive it, especially after last night," the lupine remarked.

"It's should be asking you that question, Wolf. Come on," Fox replied, dragging Wolf away. He waved back at the others, who reciprocated weakly.

Fox didn't say anything else until they had walked across the courtyard and out through the door. As soon as they closed, he burst out with laughter.

"Oh my God! I haven't seen them that freaked out in years!" He exclaimed. Wolf started chuckling, as well.

"That was really good. I'll admit, I didn't think it would be that bad," the lupine replied. Fox took a few moments to compose himself, still happy with the results of that. He then looked down to see Wolf still grasping his hand, and his chest filled with warmth.

"Wolf… you're still holding my hand," Fox said, staring into those eyes. They widened slightly.

"Oh! Uh… sorry, Fox," the lupine muttered, releasing it.

"It's fine. You probably just forgot," the vulpine said dismissively, but a part of him wondered if that was the reason.

The two canines started to walk down the halls, seeing other students coming into the hallway and walking their direction. Fox hoped there wouldn't be a huge amount of people in every class; that would prove to be extremely tedious.

"I wonder how this will start and stuff," Wolf muttered to himself as the walked along. Fox looked over at him.

"No clue. This is land combat, so I'd imagine blasters and closing quarters fighting. Any good at one of those?" The vulpine asked.

Wolf snorted. "I'm pretty shit at ranged fighting, but close quarters? I taught myself how to brawl in the streets. That'll be easy," he replied, cracking his knuckles. Fox smirked.

"I haven't ever actually fired a gun in my life, but I'm fast when it comes to fighting. Really, really fast," the vulpine said. Wolf chuckled. Fox glanced at the time. Maybe ten minutes until they'd be late.

"Maybe we'll just have to see about that," the lupine remarked. The two had reached the entrance to the combat training center, and Fox pushed the door open, Wolf right behind.

The two canines entered a huge room, the size of an aircraft hangar with a massive roof, filled with plenty of things to practice on. A shooting range in one corner, simulators, a few raised stages for ground fighting.

But that was only half of the center.

A huge arena dominated the other half of the training center, which held buildings, fake trees, and tall grasses scattered about. There was even a small forest in a corner of the arena. It looked as if it would be set up for a modified version of paintball. It was like a war zone on a planet such as Papetoon. And Fox loved all of it.

Wolf gasped. "Shit, this place is perfect. I want to spend the rest of my days here," he whispered in awe. Fox chuckled.

"Come on. The other students seem to be gathering over by the shooting range," the vulpine remarked, pointing to a spot where people where gathering. The two jogged across the center and mingled with the crowd of people, gently pushing through to the front of the crowd.

A very, very tall wolf with piercing blue eyes and white fur was studying the crowd. Fox guessed that he was the instructor. He was wearing a Academy outfit, albeit the top was tied around his waist, exposing a black tank top and distinctly muscled arms. He looked middle-aged.

"Alright, listen up, everybody!" He shouted to get the crowd's attention. Everyone immediately quieted and looked at him. Fox wasn't surprised at the force used to control everyone. It was the first day; impressions had to be made. The wolf cleared his throat before continuing.

"I'm Sergeant Myers, your combat instructor. First things first; how I teach. I believe that you are all capable of taking responsibility for your own actions, so you can do whatever you please in here, as long as you're training. If you need guidance, flag me down! I'm happy to help. You will train with your dorm mate every day, but you can engage in team fighting with another group," Myers explained, looking over the crowd. Fox decided he liked the idea of the class already.

"Now on to rules! Unless you're training, don't intentionally hurt anyone. Keep cursing to a minimum! Return all training weapons to the racks after you've finished with them! As for the combat arena; don't go over there! I will make a schedule for fighting there soon enough. Now I think I've rambled enough! Get out there and train!" Myers shouted, grinning. The body of students dispersed quickly, leaving Fox, Wolf, and Myers left in front of the shooting range. It seemed that nobody wanted to try it but those two.

Fox cleared his throat and looked up at Sergeant Myers. "Sir," he started. "It's nice to meet you. We can use the shooting range, right?" He asked.

Myers nodded, smiling. "Of course, you two. What are you names, by the way?" He asked. Fox's ears perked.

"Fox McCloud, sir. This is Wolf O'Donnell," he answered. Myers hummed in recognition.

"Ah, James's boy. I went to Academy with him; excellent student. I hope you do amazing things here. Now; have at the range! I'll go ahead and keep an eye on you!" Myers exclaimed, moving aside for them.

Fox nodded, walking up to one of the spots to shoot. Wolf stood beside him, crossing his arms and staring down at the target.

"Maybe as well see how good your aim is, Fox," the lupine said, grinning at the vulpine. Fox's face heated slightly as he nodded. He really needed to get that under control. As soon as he figured out what it was.

There were blaster pistols hung up on the rack to Fox's left, and he grabbed one. It didn't look too difficult to use. He disengaged the safety lock, and aimed the gun down the range to a circular target about twenty meters away. He stood stock still, back erect, and breathed.

Inhale. Exhale.

Fire.

A beam of red plasma shot out of Fox's blaster, embedding itself in the target and leaving a scorched mark. He set the gun on the ledge nearby.

"Pull it over," Fox said to Wolf. He pressed a button on the wall near him, and the target was moved closer to them. Fox's eyes widened when he saw where it had hit.

"Just off the center. Wow," the vulpine breathed. Wolf looked over at him in awe.

"And you're sure that this is the very first time you've picked a gun up?" He asked in shock. Fox nodded.

"Yeah. I only knew the basics of shooting, but never shot. Is that a good score?"

"Fox, that's almost perfect! You're such a good shot!" Wolf exclaimed in happiness, patting Fox's back. The vulpine's stomach twisted up in knots at the compliment.

"Thanks. Can I shoot again?" Fox asked. Wolf nodded, and the target was moved back to its original position.

Fox took his stance, closing one eye and aiming. He wondered how this one would turn out. Pretty well, hopefully. He adjusted his aim a small bit, hoping for a better shot.

Inhale. Exhale.

Fire.

The shot rang out again, and Fox grinned. He liked the sound of the gun. Wolf brought it back, and they inspected the target once more. This time, right in the center. Wolf smiled.

"Good job. I think you're a really great shot. Now, come on. Let's go for some ground fighting," the lupine said eagerly. Fox chuckled, putting his gun back and returning the target to its original spot.

Wolf jogged over to one of the fighting rings that was empty, Fox following closely. They were about ten by ten meter squares that were slightly lower in the ground than the floor.

"How about the first one to pin the other for three seconds wins?" Wolf asked, going to one of the corners. Fox took the one opposite of him, nodding.

"Sounds good, Wolf. Remember, light contact. I don't wanna get hurt today," the vulpine replied, rolling his sleeves up his arms and kicking off his boots. The lupine nodded in agreement. Wolf took his top off, tying it around his waist and revealing a tight fitting white tank top that seriously exposed his muscles, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Fox swallowed, taking a fighting position. It took serious effort to take his eyes off of Wolf's torso and pay attention to his face. The lupine grinned cockily.

"Three… two… one… go!" Wolf rushed at Fox, attempting to tackle him to the floor.

The vulpine expected this, sidestepping. Wolf recovered, and turned, going for a punch to the face. Fox blocked it, and the lupine kicked, aiming for his face. Fox barely had time to react, grabbing his leg and holding it. Somehow, Wolf jumped off of his other foot to kick Fox in the head, knocking him down on his back. The lupine quickly grabbed his wrists, pushing them down and pressing a knee on his stomach, grinning. He leaned into the other's face, their snouts barely an inch apart.

"Got ya," Wolf said in victory. Fox smiled slightly, more than a little overwhelmed by the close proximity.

"Uh… Yeah. Good job," the vulpine said dumbly as Wolf got off of him, helping him up. He felt like his chest was going to explode. He looked at Wolf's back muscles as he walked back to his corner.

Fox wondered just what the fuck was happening with him.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: For those who were wondering about the lack of an update, it's because I'm doing this thing called National Novel Writing Month. Long story short, I don't have a lot of time to write fanfiction, so there won't be many updates this month, if any. Please be patient, but for now, enjoy the chapter!

-o0o-

The rest of combat training passed by in a blur for Fox, with him and Wolf sparring for the rest of the time. The lupine won most of the matches, but Fox had managed to outdo him in some of them through his speed. Wolf did admit how fast Fox was on several occasions, much to that latter's happiness.

As the bell chimed the end of the first period, Fox and Wolf walked off of the fighting rings, moving towards the exit door. The lupine shrugged his top back on, covering his toned muscle. Fox rolled his own sleeves back down.

"What's our next class, Fox?" The lupine questioned, angling those purple eyes towards him.

"Flight tactics," the vulpine replied after a moment of thinking. He was pretty sure he knew where that classroom was.

Wolf groaned. "Christ, it's papers and shit, isn't it? I hate that stuff," he said in pain as they walked through the doorway. Fox took the lead, turning to the left just after the door.

"Don't worry; I'll help if you get stuck. I really only took this class because I had to; Dad taught me all about those stuff years ago," Fox said, smiling. He took then down a hallway with classroom doors on either side. This section looked like a normal high school. Well, then again, that's almost what this place was. Almost.

"Thanks, Fox. By the way; do you wanna keep up that thing we were doing to your friends?" The lupine asked. Fox shook his head.

"No. I want to properly introduce you to them. I want you all to be friendly with each other," Fox replied.

"Okay, that's cool. I get it," he replied.

Fox nodded, and walked a few more meters down the hall, before stopping at a door marked Room 306. Fox knew that the schedules were built so there wasn't much distance between classes. Plus, this was the only flight tactics class in the closest area that was set to the advanced level. The vulpine opened the door, and was met with a relatively normal classroom. Well, it was normal, except for the battle models on everything that wasn't a desk, as well as maps covering every inch of the walls. The tables seemed to fit two students each.

A few other students were scattered about, but no teacher. Not yet, anyway. Fox glanced about for any familiar faces, but he saw none.

Someone seemed to catch Wolf's eye, however. Fox found him staring at an orange vixen sitting at a table on the right side of the room. He started walking over to her, and Fox followed, his eyes narrowing. Who was this girl? Why was Wolf interested in her?

The vixen looked up at the two with a mildly interested expression on her face. Wolf sat in the empty table just beside her, with Fox sitting by him.

"Hi there," She said. "Who are you two?" She asked.

Wolf grinned. "Wolf. Name's Wolf. This is Fox, my friend. Who are you, gorgeous?" He asked. This sent a pang of something foreign within Fox. He felt annoyed at the vixen's very presence.

"Fara Phoenix, Wolf. And please don't flatter me; clearly there's someone better than me for you," Fara replied. Fox grimaced.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But you sure are damn fine looking, Fara," Wolf said, grinning. Fox had to use all of his restraint to prevent himself from snarling. Why was he feeling so aggressive?

The vulpine pulled Wolf's head to face him, scrutinizing the lupine's face and eyes for answers.

"What the hell, Wolf?" Fox whispered sharply.

"What? I like her," Wolf replied, slightly confused. Fox growled lowly.

"She's not worth the trouble. Find someone else, but not her," he said fiercely. Wolf chuckled.

"You like her a lot, then?" He asked. Fox shook his head vigorously, his face heating. Wolf had the completely wrong idea.

"Fuck no! Not in a million years!" The vulpine hissed. Wolf made a noise of understanding.

"Oh… I see what's going on here. You're…"

Wolf was cut off by the noise of a door slamming, and they looked over, started, to see an old looking bulldog walk in. He had fiery eyes that held authority.

"Good morning, class! This is flight tactics, so if you aren't supposed to be here, get out!" He exclaimed roughly. Apparently, nobody was, as nothing moved.

"Good, no mix ups. I'm Mr. Hemm, your instructor. Today is the start of your new class!" He exclaimed once more, pacing to the front of the room. Fox sighed inwardly. The start of a boring period. He kept catching Wolf glancing over at Fara as the instructor spoke, which upset Fox greatly, but he didn't know why.

-o0o-

Flight tactics passed by in a blur of introductions, syllabuses, and a certain lupine making passes at a vixen. By the time the bell rang to signify lunch, Fox wanted to cut Wolf's snout off to prevent him from speaking to Fara.

The two canines walked out of class, and Fox made sure to lead Wolf the clear opposite direction of Fara. They walked down the halls, towards the courtyard where the vulpine knew his friends would be waiting on them.

"I'm sorry I was hitting on Fara," Wolf muttered as they walked along. Fox's ears twitched.

"I don't get what you see in her. She's just some girl our age who's in our flight tactics class. No big deal," he replied, shrugging. Wolf scoffed.

"An insanely pretty girl at that. Did you see her gorgeous eyes?" The lupine asked. Fox rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. What's the big deal with… her eyes…" the vulpine trailed off, staring at Wolf's purple orbs.

Pretty eyes. Huh.

Fox's face heated up, his chest constricting. The lupine looked at him questioningly.

"Are you okay, Fox?" He asked, concerned. Fox nodded a little too quickly.

"Yep. Yeah! I'm alright! No problems here at all! Nope!" Fox exclaimed in slight embarrassment, opening a set of doors in their path. The two were greeted with cold autumn air and the sight of the courtyard. The vulpine zeroed in on his friends almost immediately.

"If you say so, Fox," Wolf replied in slight confusion as Fox made a beeline towards Falco and the others. He'd explain that he and Wolf were not in fact dating, or had plans to.

Easy and simple enough.

Falco took note of them and grimaced slightly, although he waved. Fox walked up to them, hoping he was wearing an apologetic expression. Wolf trailed behind a bit closer than the vulpine would've liked, though.

"Hey. I'm gonna apologize to you," Fox started. "Wolf and I aren't actually… you know. We were just pulling a prank on you," he explained. Bill snorted.

"I figured," the dog said. "I knew you were looking for a chance to get at us. Perfect opportunity, you had there. That was pretty good," he continued, cracking a smile.

Slippy chuckled. "Whew. I'm glad I don't have to keep worrying about that. What a relief. That was an excellent prank, though. I wish I could think up something that devious."

Fox and Wolf looked over to Falco, who kept a blank expression, as if he was thinking on something. A moment later, the avian closed his eyes and smirked, raising his hands in defeat.

"Alright, you got me," he admitted. "I thought you two were boning, but I was wrong. Alright." Fox's ears heated at that statement.

Wolf crossed his arms. "I'm sure you would all like a proper introduction though, right? Name's Wolf. Wolf O'Donnell. I'm Fox's dorm mate," the lupine greeted, extending a hand out to Bill. He shook it immediately, followed by Slippy.

"Good to meet you, dude. Name's Bill," the dog introduced, flashing his signature cool smile. Fox rolled his eyes.

"I'm Slippy. Hey there," the toad said. Wolf nodded, smiling, and looked over to Falco. He extended his hand, waiting for something. Fox had to admit that everything was going pretty well so far. Falco was always a dick to people he didn't know, though.

Falco rolled his eyes, clenching Wolf's hand for a second before pulling back away. "Yo. Name's Falco. Good to meet ya, I suppose," he muttered, looking away. Wolf's ears drooped I'm disappointment.

Fox nudged the lupine, looking at him. "Hey. That's the best possible reaction you'll get from Falco at introductions. Be happy," the vulpine said reassuringly. Wolf nodded slightly, seeming to cheer up a small bit. He seemed to be trying to avoid Fox's gaze. That was more than a little odd.

"Huh. Is the worst case scenario attempted assault?" He asked, grinning. Fox laughed at that.

"You're pretty close with that assumption, honestly. Let's just hope it doesn't ever boil down to that," Falco answered, a hint of amusement present in his voice. Fox knew it would work out.

"Hey, Falco. Who's your dorm mate?" The vulpine asked.

"I didn't get one," Falco stated flatly. Fox blinked. No dorm mate? How was that even possible?

"How's that even possible?" The vulpine asked, echoing his thoughts. Falco shrugged.

"Apparently, I'm 'ill-tempered and uncooperative' and don't need one, as I'd most likely cause 'severe problems' to my peers," the avian explained, snorting.

"Sounds like you, dude," Bill stated smugly, grinning. Falco rolled his eyes in annoyance, flicking the dog's ear.

"Alright then… Who'd you get, Bill and Slippy?" Fox questioned. He should've asked this stuff earlier, but he didn't think about doing so until now.

Slippy was first. "I didn't get anyone, either. I think the staff knew how bad I am with people. Besides, the sheer amount of experimentation I do would be enough to scare anybody off," he explained. Fox nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, that's about what I figured. Bill?" The vulpine asked, looking at the hound. He crossed his arms.

"Guy by the name of Panther Caroso. Ladies' man, big time. He has a thing for romance, but he's an alright dude. I think you all would get along with him," Bill explained.

"Where is this Panther guy, then?" Wolf asked, his ears perking. Fox was genuinely curious about this new person, as well.

Bill shrugged. "Said he was gonna go back to our dorm room. Didn't ask why. Besides, you'll meet him next period. You two have individual flight simulators, right?" Wolf looked at Fox for confirmation, who nodded. Falco smiled at that.

"That means we all do, excluding Slippy!" He exclaimed.

"Awesome. Do you guys have team simulators after that?" The vulpine questioned. Both Falco and Bill nodded in response. Wolf grinned down at Fox, making his chest twist up. He looked away. Bill seemed to take notice of this, looking at the vulpine questioningly.

"Dude, can I talk to ya for a moment? In private?" The hound asked. Fox nodded, a little confused.

"You'll be back in a minute, right?" Wolf asked, sounding slightly upset. Fox eyed him confusedly.

"Course. Don't worry about it," he replied reassuringly. Bill started walking off to another section in the courtyard, with Fox following him. He led the vulpine to a bench that was put of earshot from everyone else. The dog sat down, motioning for Fox to do the same. He took a seat.

"What's with you and that Wolf dude?" Bill asked, looking over at the vulpine. Fox raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean? We're friends. Why?" The vulpine questioned, wondering what Bill's intentions were.

"I was just curious. I mean, the way you look at him… I don't know. Dude… I'm not sure about you," the hound replied, shaking his head.

Fox was genuinely confused. "I don't look at him like anything. He's just… there. Wolf is my friend."

Bill scoffed, smirking. "Little quick to think he's your friend, huh, dude? It's been a day. A day," he remarked. Fox scowled.

"Whatever. You're just being stupid," he muttered. Bill chuckled.

"All I'm saying is to watch out. You never know what could happen," the dog replied, winking and standing up. Fox was even more confused than before.

The vulpine stood up, walking after him back to the group. When they arrived, Fox saw Wolf shifting his feet nervously, standing a little ways away from everybody else. His demeanor brightened significantly at noticing Fox's return.

"What'd you two talk about?" The lupine asked. Fox shrugged.

"He asked why we were friends, I guess. He was being strange, talking about the way I look at you. What a strange thing to ask," the vulpine remarked, staring up at Wolf. Those piercing amethyst eyes narrowed down at him in thought.

"Yeah. Strange thing to ask you," he muttered, lost in thought. Fox scratched at his ear absently.

He wished somebody would give him answers.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I'm finally back from National Novel Writing Month! That means updates will return once more. The updates for this story may not be as frequent as I'd like, but I'll try my hardest to push new chapters out. Enjoy chapter four!

-o0o-

Lunch had come and gone, with Fox and Wolf grabbing a protein bar and a soda from the cafeteria vending machines after breaking from Falco and the others in the vulpine's group. The two canines were headed to their next class, individual flying simulators.

Apparently, it pitted two pilots against each other in a simulated dogfight. Those two pilots were to be each other's dorm mates, which wasn't bad. Fox had heard quite a lot about Wolf's 'prowess' from the excessive boasting that he had done. Despite the lupine's ego, Fox was impressed with him.

"Ready for me to kick your ass?" Fox teased as the two walked down the halls to the class. Wolf scoffed, nudging the vulpine.

"Whatever. You're gonna eat those words, Fox," the lupine replied, giving a toothy grin. Fox's ears heated in response to that, and he looked away.

They kept going, and eventually found themselves in front of a large set of doors. Fox shoved one open, and they entered a hangar filled with the simulation pods. They were about the size of a ship, and looked like big black orbs. They were sectioned off in pairs of two, presumably for each combat session.

"This is a pretty cool place," Wolf remarked, nodding to himself.

"You're right about that. Now come on; I see the instructor over there," the vulpine stated, pointing to a space where a large projector screen was located, on the wall near them. A grey feline in the standard Academy outfit, plus goggles around his neck, was waiting with a clipboard. It seemed that some other students had already arrived, including Falco and Bill. The avian waved them over.

Wolf huffed in frustration. "Do we have to go stand by them?" He asked almost whiningly. Fox looked at him confusedly.

"Why? Do you not like Bill and Falco, Wolf?" The vulpine questioned with concern. The lupine shook his head, looking frustrated.

"No, it's not that. I just want it to be the two of us, I guess," Wolf muttered, looking away from Fox. The vulpine smiled a bit, his face heating slightly.

"We won't be hanging by them for too long, Wolf. Besides, I want to meet Bill's dorm mate. He sounds like a pretty cool guy," Fox stated, starting to walk over to his friends. Wolf reluctantly went to follow him.

Bill nodded in acknowledgement at seeing the two walked over to stand by the small group. Fox stared at the hound expectantly.

"So where's this Panther guy you've been speaking of?" The vulpine asked. Bill's ears perked.

"Ah, he's just over here. Panther, come here!" Bill called out into the throng of students. A tall, black feline shouldered his way through the crowd and came to a stop next to Bill. His physical features were rough, but the feline smiled warmly at Fox and Wolf. The vulpine found himself grinning back at Panther's friendliness.

"Hello there. My name is Panther Caroso; pleased to make your acquaintance," the feline said politely, extending a hand. Fox shook it for a moment.

"Hey there. I'm Fox. Nice to meet you, too," he said. Wolf grunted, and didn't grasp Panther's hand when it was offered.

"Wolf. Name's Wolf," the lupine stated gruffly. Panther looked slightly hurt for a moment, but the pain was quickly masked with a smile. That made Fox wonder if the feline was hiding something.

"Are you guys ready to get in the simulators?" Falco asked, piping up suddenly. Fox nodded.

"Yeah, but we probably won't get to use them today. It is only our first day, after all," the vulpine said, shrugging.

Wolf huffed dramatically. "We'll probably just be going over the rules, and how not to get killed or something," he complained. The vulpine nudged him.

"Hey, there's going to be some people here who are stupid enough to do things to get themselves killed. Just be patient," Fox chastised. Wolf grumbled in defeat.

The instructor cleared his throat to speak, and the room quickly went silent, with everyone looking at him in attention. Fox sighed inwardly. He didn't want to admit it, but he was just as excited about getting to fly in the simulators as Wolf was. They'd just have to be patient for a day or two, he supposed.

-o0o-

Fox was right about not being able to get in the simulators.

The instructor, known as Mr. Adams, has gone over the rules in great detail, making sure that absolutely everyone knew them. Fox nearly fell asleep a number of times, and it seemed Wolf did, as well.

The class passed by extremely slowly, and when the bell rang to signify the end of it, the vulpine sighed in relief, getting up from his desk. He and Wolf quickly left the room, and stepped back out into the hallway.

"That was so boring," Wolf groaned as they walked down the hall. Fox nodded, chuckling slightly.

"Maybe we'll get to use simulators in individual flying tomorrow," the vulpine said hopefully.

"God, I hope so. I need to fly soon," Wolf said desperately, clutching at Fox's shoulder. The vulpine almost reeled away at the sudden contact, his chest tightening. He didn't shrug it off, though.

"Maybe we will get to fly in team simulators," Wolf muttered as they walked. His hand was still planted on Fox's shoulder.

"Not a chance. I guarantee there will be even more rules for that class," the vulpine replied, sighing.

"Why do we have two different instructors for the simulators classes, anyway?" The lupine questioned, dropping his hand from Fox's shoulder. That was a good question. Two different classrooms, or hangars, for extremely similar classes? It was strange.

"Perhaps it's just to even out the amount of students in each class, I suppose," Fox suggested as they rounded a corner into another hallway. The vulpine was glad he knew where to go in the building.

The two walked on in silence, moving through the hallways. Everything was so spaced out in the Academy; you hardly ever ran into another student. Everything felt so quiet and eerie all the time.

Fox took the silence to use as time to think on a few things. They were mostly about Wolf. One such example that was burning at the vulpine's mind was why Wolf didn't like to hang out with Fox's friends. Of course, he just might not like meeting new people, but the vulpine knew that probably wasn't the case, as he'd taken an immediate liking to Fox and that Fara girl.

Speaking of Fara, Fox despised the way Wolf looked at and spoke to her. He clearly had a thing for the vixen, and that made Fox extremely upset, but he had no clue why. Just the thought of Wolf dating her made the vulpine slightly sick to his stomach. Why would he date her when Wolf could date-

"Fox, are you alright?" Wolf asked, his ears pinned, ripping Fox from his train of thought. How was I going to finish that sentence? He thought.

"What do you mean, Wolf?" The vulpine asked, a little confused.

"You were scowling really terribly, and you almost sounded like you were about to growl," the lupine stated, eyeing Fox in a way that made the former feel like he couldn't breathe properly.

"I'm fine," Fox started. Thinking of Fara had made him remember something Wolf was supposed to ask him. "You never finished that thought after I had refused wanting to date Fara. What was it?" He asked. Wolf suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"I'll… uh… tell you after… uhm… this class. Yeah, I will," Wolf muttered, sounding nervous. Fox eyed him, confused.

"Okay, as long as you tell me whatever it is, I'm fine," the vulpine remarked. The lupine nodded, looking away. Now Fox was really confused. He realized that Wolf had been acting really strange over the day. That didn't seem like him.

Fox was so distracted he nearly slammed into a door. He looked over, startled, to see that it was the one for the team simulators class. He shook his thoughts off and opened the door for Wolf, who walked inside. He followed, and saw that they were in a hangar nearly identical to the last one, except that the simulators were in groups of four. Must be two per team, the vulpine inferenced.

"I'll bet we've got more rules to learn," Wolf muttered, sighing. Fox poked him in the arm.

"Have a little patience. We'll be able to fly soon. Just wait a while," he remarked, grinning. Wolf nodded glumly.

Fox saw a group of students huddled near another teacher. This one was a tall raven who was wearing spectacles.

"Come on. We've got to learn these incredibly important rules," Wolf said sarcastically, faking a smile and walking to the crowd. Fox rolled his eyes, trailing behind. He was so ready for another lecture. That was going to be so fun.

-o0o-

Fox was right; they had another lecture and another list of rules. The instructor, named Ms. Seyn, had a cheerful demeanor, which was nice, he supposed. The vulpine half listened during the class, more distracted by Wolf than anything.

He found himself just looking at every movement the lupine made, every twitch of his muscles, every eye movement he made. Fox had no idea why, but sometimes he just found that he couldn't rip his eyes away from Wolf's figure, no matter how hard he tried.

The two had left class as soon as the bell rang, and started back towards their dorms. Thankfully, the last class wasn't terribly far from the dormitories. It was just a quick walk before they'd arrive.

"Oh, finally. The first day is over," Wolf said in relief. Fox nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I just want to head home and have some of you delicious cooking. What time is it, anyway?" Fox asked. Wolf took his phone from his pocket and turned it on, staring at the time.

"It's about ten past four, Fox. We've still got plenty of time in the day," he answered.

"Alright, that's good. Do you have plans for dinner?" Fox questioned, eager to know what Wolf would cook up.

"Hmm… what to make…how about some homemade pizza? How's that sound?" The lupine asked. Fox nodded vigorously.

"Oh, that sounds perfect! I'm down for that!" The vulpine exclaimed, his tail wagging. Wolf chuckled, walking a little faster. Fox opted to trail behind him, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Then I'll get the oven turned on and all that when we get back," the lupine remarked idly.

Fox nodded, starting to become distracted by Wolf's tail. It was moving erratically at some points while he watched. Other times, though, it would droop so far it almost seemed like it'd tuck between the lupine's legs. The vulpine was slightly amused, yet concerned for Wolf. He was curious to know what that was about. He was also curious to know what question Wolf needed so desperately to ask him. He said he'd wait until they reached their dorm, but why?

A good five minutes later, the two canines had arrived at the dorms, and climbed the staircase to reach their dorm room. Wolf used his key card on the door, and it unlocked. He opened it, letting Fox through first, before shutting the door and making his way to the kitchen to start on the pizza. The vulpine took off his uniform top and kicked off his boots, sinking into the couch with a heavy sigh. He was exhausted.

"I'm tired," he stated simply, turning on the TV to a random station and pulling his PDA out from his pocket. He heard a slight chuckle from the other room.

"I'll bet. I am too; everything was a bit stressful. I was really nervous," Wolf replied. The vulpine heard the sound of the oven turning on.

Fox stretched out on the couch, opening up his PDA and checking his messages. He saw one from Bill.

FROM: BILL G.

Yo, dude. R u up to come to my place? We got food and friends! :D

Fox chuckled at his friend's casual nature, and started typing out a response.

TO: BILL G.

Sorry, man. Wolf's already in the kitchen making us homemade pizza. No way I'm missing out on that stuff.

The PDA was silent for a few moments, as Fox waited for a reply from his canine friend. He whistled softly to himself as he half listened to the TV in front of him. It was talking about politics, or something like that. The vulpine really didn't care. He looked back at his PDA to see that Bill had replied.

FROM: BILL G.

Aw :( That's cool, I wasn't expecting u to come. I guess don't get into trouble with Wolf, plz. Gtg… Falco is here now. Bye!

Fox snorted in amusement, sending a farewell message and setting his PDA on the coffee table. The vulpine got back up off of the couch, walking into the kitchen, where Wolf had put his apron back on and was busy chopping up some bell peppers. Fox coughed to get his attention. The lupine looked over at him, his face instantly brightening. That made Fox's face heat up slightly.

"Did you need something, Fox?" Wolf questioned.

Fox nodded. "Yeah, I do. You still haven't explained to me what you were going to say earlier about me not wanting to be involved with Fara. Could you?" He asked.

Wolf hummed. "Well… you sounded pretty sure about that whole thing with me not going after Fara. That convinced me to not go after her, you know?" The lupine asked, shrugging. He was kneading the pizza dough as they spoke. Fox rolled his eyes in amusement.

"I just think she wasn't good enough for you. I'd bet you could find someone much better than that," the vulpine replied, smiling.

Wolf nodded, staring at Fox. "Yeah. Maybe I could," he said.

The vulpine walked back to the living room, sitting back down on the couch. He wondered why he was so adamant on making sure Wolf didn't go after Fara. He told some of the truth, he supposed, but he still didn't feel right. Fox felt kind of empty for some reason.

The vulpine let his thoughts wander as he tried to remember what day it was. Wednesday. It was Wednesday, wasn't it? Yeah. Fox sighed in contentment, burying himself further in the couch cushions. The condition he was in made him feel sleepy. He yawned, closing his eyes. Sleep quickly found him, as he was exhausted.

-o0o-

Fox awoke to the smell of freshly baked pizza. He cracked open his eyes, and saw amethyst ones staring at him. They quickly moved away as Fox gained his bearings and sat up. Wolf was standing in front of him with a few plates of pizza in hand.

"You looked really peaceful, so I didn't bother ya," the lupine said, smiling and handing Fox a plate that held a few slices of pizza with pepperoni and jalapeños on them. He had two glasses of water on the coffee table.

"Thanks, Wolf. These look delicious," the vulpine remarked, licking his chops and picking up a slice from his plate.

"I… I try my best," the lupine muttered, looking away. Fox cocked his head slightly in confusion.

A moment later, he shrugged and took a bite out of the pizza. He immediately knew that it was his favorite slice of pizza ever.

"This is the best pizza I've ever had!" Fox exclaimed after taking a few more bites of the food. He took a long sip of the water, as the jalapeños added a serious kick to the dish.

Wolf smiled shyly. "You really think so? Thanks," he said.

"I'm glad I got a great cook as my dorm mate," the vulpine declared. I'm really just happy I got you as a dorm mate, Fox thought to himself.

The two ate their food relatively fast, as the day had exhausted them and given them huge appetites. Fox loved the pizza, and went back for two more slices, eating those just as fast. He wondered if Wolf could make every type of food taste perfect. The vulpine certainly hoped so.

A while later, the two canines were sitting on the couch, their stomachs full and plates empty. Fox sighed in content, glancing over at the lupine beside him. He was frowning at something.

"What's the matter?" Fox asked, a little concerned.

The lupine shook his head. "Nothing. I'm fine," Wolf said, getting up off of the couch. The vulpine followed him to their bedroom, where he was pulling out sleeping clothes.

"I'm gonna go take a shower. It's starting to get late," the lupine remarked, walking back out and into the bathroom. Fox climbed up to the top bunk, sighing as he lay down. He'd shower after Wolf got out, of course.

The vulpine sighed softly, already stressing about the next day. More school, more rules, but hopefully, they'd get to start flying. Probably not, though.

Fox needed to call his father. He said he'd do that. The vulpine nodded to himself, getting off of the bed and walking to the living room. He heard the sound of water running, and inferred that Wolf was showering. Fox grabbed his PDA from the coffee table, and found his dad's contact information. He hit call, and put the device to his ear, listening to the ringing noise.

Just as Fox was worried it'd go to voicemail, the other line picked up.

"Dad?" Fox asked excitedly. His father was able to pick up!

"Son? How are you? Is school alright so far? How was your first day?" James asked rapidly. Fox chuckled.

"First, I want you to tell me what you have been doing," the vulpine replied.

"Oh, alright. I met up with Peppy, and the new guy, Pigma, his name is. I think he's alright, but Pep doesn't like him. Oh well. We ship out in a few days; for now, we're preparing. Now, answer my questions. Tell me all about the first day," Fox's dad said.

"Oh. Of course! It wasn't too bad; I got to meet my instructors. They were all pretty cool. I met some new people too. Bill's dorm mate was one of them, a guy called Panther. He's kind of quiet, but he's cool. No flying simulators yet, though; I only got to learn rules I already knew," the vulpine explained. He heard a chuckle from the other end.

"I'm glad you had a good first day. So who's your new dorm mate, son?" James asked. Fox smiled at the question.

"He's a guy called Wolf O'Donnell. He's awesome! Wolf knows how to cook, so we get homemade meals all the time! He's also a really good fighter, and I think he's going to make a good pilot. He can be a little aggressive towards other people he doesn't really know, but he's really protective. I'm really glad I met him; he's a great person," Fox explained, smiling wide. He heard some silence from the other end for a moment.

"I'm glad you're happy. I hope you have a great year, Fox. And I'm sorry that I couldn't stay with you, but I'll be back! I promise I'll come back and see how you're doing. Have a good year, and be kind to your friends. Make new ones, and keep with Wolf. I think he'll be a good companion. Just remember to keep pushing ahead!" James exclaimed. He sounded like he was crying from the other end of the phone. Fox hoped he was going to be alright. He missed his father already.

"I love you, dad. I'll call you as soon as I can! Bye!" Fox exclaimed, grinning.

"I love you too, son. I'll be back as soon as I can. See you later," the other vulpine said. He hung up a moment later, and Fox set his PDA down, smiling softly. He was able to speak with his dad. He hoped it wasn't going to be the last time he would have that chance.

The vulpine sat on the bed for a few moments, listening to the drone of the water from the shower. He was happy Wolf was there with him. It was good to take his mind off of missing his father. It was like the lupine was filling a void in his life.

A few moments later, the water stopped, and then Wolf stepped out of the bathroom in sweats and a white tank that hugged his muscled figure. He looked… good? The vulpine smiled when they made eye contact, looking away a second later.

"Your turn for the shower. I'll be laying down on my bed," the lupine said simply. Fox nodded, walking over to his suitcase and grabbing some boxers and a baggy shirt and walking into the bathroom, turning the shower on.

The vulpine undressed, waiting for the water to warm up. He swiped his hand over the mirror, getting rid of the condensation and staring at his reflection. He looked rather tired, but happy. It's what he expected, after all.

Fox entered the shower when he was satisfied with the temperature, and started washing himself off with a brisk pace. His dad had taught him to conserve water usage, so it bugged him to see Wolf taking so long in the bathroom. He wouldn't say anything, it was just a mild annoyance.

Not ten minutes later, the vulpine exited the shower, drying his fur off quickly. His fur puffed out in all sorts of directions, which was rather funny. Fox put his pajamas on and walked out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed. He shuffled into the bedroom with a yawn, throwing his dirty clothing into a pile and hanging his uniform up on the side of the bunk bed.

Wolf was laying on the bottom bunk, looking intently at his phone. Fox smiled, his chest twisting as he watched the lupine smile every so often. He was acting like a dork. The vulpine shook his thoughts off as he climbed up to his bunk and got under the covers. The two lay in comfortable silence for a while, content to not speak. Fox grew tired eventually, his eyes becoming heavy. He was ready to sleep.

"Hey, Fox?" The lupine asked, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" The vulpine asked, half asleep. What could be so important as to bother him this late at night?

"You're really good with talking about feelings and dealing with girls and such. How come such a great guy like you doesn't have a boyfriend?" The lupine asked. It took Fox's sleep riddled brain a moment to process what he said.

A what?

The vulpine shot up. "A what?" He asked, moving to look down at Wolf's face, which was still staring at his phone.

"Yeah, boyfriend. Noun. Somebody you go on dates with," the lupine said, looking up at Fox's bewildered expression. His ears pinned to his head in his realization.

"Oh… I thought you were… you know. Jesus, Fox, I'm sorry I assumed…" Wolf trailed off, covering his face with a hand.

"No, it's alright. Um… uh… how about…why did you assume that?" The vulpine asked, curious now more than anything.

"Well, you apparently know how girls like to act. And you haven't mentioned liking anybody at all. And you seemed openly disgusted about me thinking you'd date Fara. I might have saw you stare at a guy or two in the halls," Wolf explained, ears still pinned.

"Oh. Well… let's just talk about it in the morning because I don't… I don't think I'm… goodnight," the vulpine said, flustered, as he moved back to a laying position on his own bunk.

"Night," Wolf muttered. He stood and walked to turn the light switch after that, and Fox closed his eyes, trying to find sleep.

But sleep wasn't going to come easy to him at all, sadly. His thoughts became plagued by Wolf's words. If he thought the vulpine was gay after about two days of knowing him, then what did Falco, Bill, and the others think? Oh God, what if everyone thought that?

Fox was pretty sure he already knew the answer to that question, actually.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: See, I wasn't lying about slower updates. With this story I'm trying to go for larger chapters, as to satisfy readers in the long run. It could turn from biweekly to monthly, I'm not sure yet. One last thing; I changed my name! It's MythicWolf04 now, to suit with my email. I was tired of the old one; it was cheesy. Now… on to the story!

-o0o-

Fox woke early in the morning as the alarm sounded for he and Wolf to start the day. The vulpine groaned, cracking his eyes open and taking a moment for them to become adjusted to the bright light. He sat up, and after gaining his bearings and hearing Wolf shut the alarm off, the conversation of the night before hit him like a truck.

Wolf thought he was gay.

Fox groaned again, covering his face. Why would the lupine assume that? Did his other friends think that, as well?

More importantly, did he think that? That's not something he wanted to debate at the moment, actually. There were way too many questions on his mind, and he didn't think he had any answers to them. Not yet, anyway.

Fox climbed down from his bunk and noted that Wolf had already darted away to the kitchen, because the vulpine heard the oven being switched on. He sighed, grabbing his uniform and changing into it, grimacing slightly at the sight of the green apparel. He checked the time after he had changed. About seven thirty, just like yesterday.

The vulpine sighed once more, his mind racing with plenty of incomprehensible thoughts. He grabbed his PDA, walking into the living room and sitting down heavily on the couch, turning the television on to a news channel.

Fox flipped his PDA open, finding Bill's contact and pulling up the messaging screen. He might as well start looking to see if anything thought the same as Wolf.

Speaking of Wolf, the vulpine wondered why the lupine would have even brought that up last night. There was absolutely no need to do so, but apparently he did anyway. It was strange, since the lupine ended up dodging telling him something for the whole day. That was another thing to figure out. How fun.

Fox turned his attention back to the PDA in hand, and he debated on what to text his friend for a moment before deciding to be direct.

TO: BILL G.

Hey, can we talk? Just the two of us, during lunch? There's something eating at me.

The vulpine took a breath, tapping a foot in impatience. He smelled bacon cooking from the kitchen, and suddenly hoped he hadn't wrecked his and Wolf's relationship. They'd talk soon. In a few minutes, actually. Fox's PDA buzzed a moment later, startling him. He glanced back down at the screen.

FROM: BILL G.

Of course, dude. I'd be good to talk, but is it Wolf? Did he hurt you?

The vulpine smiled at Bill's caring nature. He was a great friend, Fox thought.

TO: BILL G.

No, he didn't hurt me! It's about him… but I'll give you details later. I swear he didn't hurt me. Okay?

FROM: BILL G.

Alright dude, sorry for jumping the gun! I'll meet you at lunch, then. Cya there!

Fox turned his PDA off, setting it on the coffee table. He sighed, marveling at Bill's protectiveness. He may be a very cool individual, but he loved his friends more than what seemed humanly possible. That was both a good and a bad thing for him.

The vulpine crossed his arms, blankly staring at the news story on the television, not really caring about what the anchor was talking about. A moment later, Wolf came in and set a plate of pancakes and bacon down in front of him. Fox smiled his thanks, momentarily forgetting his worries and grabbing the plate, starting to dig into his pancakes. Wolf had already provided the syrup for them.

"Hey… Fox. I'm sorry about that whole conversation last night. It was wrong for me to assume…" The lupine trailed off, starting to eat a strip of bacon. Fox looked at him with an understanding expression.

"Wolf, it's okay. You didn't harm anyone; you just… opened my eyes a bit. I've got some things to figure out on my own. Honestly… if you hadn't said anything, this would've happened anyway. I'm just going to deal with this, alright? It's not your fault," Fox said, smiling softly. He truly did have some things to think about, however. Like if he really was gay or not.

"So I didn't wreck our friendship, right?" The lupine questioned I'm between bites of his pancakes. Fox merely grinned.

"Of course not, Wolf. I wouldn't ever think that," the vulpine replied. He chuckled a bit as he noticed some syrup dribble down the lupine's mouth to the edge of his snout. The lupine lapped it up with his tongue before it could drip to the floor, and he snickered. Fox thought that was…

Was what? Funny? Stupid? Cute?

He couldn't tell anymore. Wolf had opened something up that the vulpine couldn't close, no matter how hard he had tried. It made him rethink everything he'd said and done at the Academy.

Fox chose not to say anything, and quickly finished off his breakfast, marveling at how good it tasted. Every dish Wolf cooked up seemed to taste better than the last. The vulpine wanted his meals for the rest of his life.

Fox got up to set the dirty dishes and silverware in the kitchen sink, and after finishing the chore, he walked over to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth, applied deodorant, and ran a comb through his headfur. He was ready for his second day of classes.

The vulpine walked back out, checking the time on his PDA as he sat back down next to the lupine. It was a few minutes before nine. They still had another half hour before they needed to start making their way to combat training.

Fox was wondering something else, as well. It was now a Friday, wasn't it? The weekend started tomorrow, and he didn't have any plans. What could he and the lupine do? He wanted to spend some time with Wolf by doing something other than hanging out at the dormitories all day.  
"Hey, Wolf. Since today's Friday, and we have the entire weekend off, I was wondering if you wanted to… do something with me? It doesn't have to be anything big, but we could just hang out. I… I mean… a bus comes around on the weekends to take students to the town by the Air Force Base… and maybe we could do something there. Together," the vulpine managed to say as he face heated up, looking at the lupine's shining purple eyes for an answer. He found a bright smile and nod.

"Of course we can do something. I'd love to," Wolf replied, his ears perking up.

"Great!" Fox exclaimed, grinning. His face heated up slightly as he realized how eager he sounded.

The two then sat in silence for a while, simply waiting for the time when they'd have to start heading to combat training. Fox was still incredibly confused about himself now. After Wolf made that assumption, it felt like all of the choices he'd made in life, he didn't really know the consequences to. If he was gay, then did he feel any sort of attraction to a girl whatsoever?

Well, he could base that upon Fara. She was a very pretty vixen, and smart too, but could Fox see himself dating her, or going even further than that?

He knew if he answered that right away, it'd be a yes. So he forced himself to think upon it. Would the vulpine want to go out with Fara and get to know her? Date her for a long time until the point where they professed their love for each other? Went even further than that, in bed?

When Fox really thought about it, he knew what his answer was, and it shocked him to learn how stupid he'd been.

Fox would be disgusted.

The vulpine could handle being good friends with Fara, but dating? No, he couldn't do that. It didn't sound right.

Maybe he was gay. But strangely enough, Fox could live with that if it was so. He would be comfortable with that, even. The vulpine still wanted to have a word with Bill about what he and his friends thought about him. That would settle things, hopefully, and set some finality in his mind. He already suspected he knew the answer to his question, but he still wanted absolute confirmation.

Either way, Fox was confused about his behavior towards the lupine. He wasn't sure what he felt towards Wolf at all. That was something to keep in mind, as well. One thing was for sure about that, though; he'd have to figure Wolf out.

The vulpine suspected he was hiding something. Something pretty big. He wouldn't talk about his past at all. It was as if the lupine was trying to erase it altogether. Maybe Fox could pry something small out of him. He had an idea to start the process, actually.

"Hey, Wolf? Do you miss your family?" Fox asked slowly, looking over at the lupine. His face dipped into a scowl.

"Uh... I don't miss them. I don't want you being all nosy about my life, either. It's mine to divulge if I want to. Got it?" Wolf asked with such fierce anger that Fox visibly cringed, whimpering slightly. That was completely uncalled for from the lupine. The lupine's expression immediately softened, and he lay a comforting hand in the vulpine's shoulder, moving closer to him.

"God, I'm sorry I snapped at you, Fox. It's just a sensitive subject, my past. I'll share it when I'm ready. I'm sorry. I won't be like that again," Wolf apologized with such sincerity Fox couldn't help but smile.

"I… I understand, Wolf. I won't pry anymore," the vulpine promised, staring into those concerned purple eyes. His ears heated slightly when he realized how close the two were, and he turned away.

"It's about time to get to combat training. Want to start heading over there?" Wolf questioned after a second of silence. Fox nodded shakily, shoving his PDA in his pocket and standing up.

"Y- Yeah, let's get going," the vulpine replied, starting to head for the door.

The two canines exited their dorm room, and the lupine locked it behind them. They then started off towards the combat training center, heading down the flights of stairs to the first floor. Fox whistled softly as the two walked, eyeing some of the passersby as he went along, Wolf at his side.

The vulpine wished he understood everything happening around him, but he knew he couldn't change anything. At least, not at the moment. It was the second day of the school year and he was already freaking out and having an internal crisis when his life had been relatively boring all the years beforehand. Everything was so simple until Fox met Wolf, he realized with a start.

Fox remained quiet the entire walk to the combat training center, his eyes cast towards his boots, afraid to look anywhere else. He needed to let off some steam, and ground fighting sounded like the perfect opportunity to do so.

The two canines eventually reached the entrance to the center, and went ahead and walked into the massive classroom. There didn't seem to be anyone else in the place besides the instructor, Sergeant Myers, who was standing near one of the small fighting areas with a clipboard in hand. It was pretty early, after all. Fox and Wolf had only walked for five minutes.

Sergeant Myers perked up slightly when he saw the two canines. He waved them over, and the two complied, walking to him.

"Morning, boys! I wanted to let you two know that you can spar before class starts if you feel like it. I don't mind, since lessons don't ever actually get taught here. I'm just here to keep everyone from killing themselves," the tall wolf said with a grin. Fox smiled slightly, nodding.

"Sounds good, Sergeant Myers. You want to go ahead and start, Fox?" Wolf asked, looking over at the vulpine for confirmation.

He nodded, walking to one corner of the arena and standing there, taking off his uniform top, tying it around his waist. He didn't wear his scarf today because he forgot to put it on, much to his frustration. He supposed it was because of how frazzled he'd felt in the morning.

Wolf simply set his top on the ground outside of the ring, revealing a grey tank top that matched his fur. Fox tried his hardest to keep his eyes on the lupine's face, but they ended up drifting down to the waist of Wolf's uniform pants, which had slipped down a bit, revealing the waistband of a very… skimpy type of underwear. A jockstrap, to be exact. The vulpine swallowed heavily, his face heating up.

"Ready to go?" The lupine asked, grinning to expose his teeth. The vulpine raised his arms defensively, staying out on his corner of the arena.

"Yeah. Call it," Fox managed to reply without a shaky voice. He mentally kicked himself for getting distracted. The vulpine steeled his mind, closing his eyes. No distractions this time. Just the fight.

"And… go!" Wolf exclaimed. Fox's eyes snapped open, and they narrowed on the lupine's thick form as he started to rush towards the vulpine.

Fox took a step forward, keeping his composure. Wolf continued to run at him, and he raised a fist, coming in for a particularly hard punch. The vulpine waited another second until the lupine was in range, and then he made his move.

Fox ducked under the punch, grabbing the lupine's wrist with one hand and putting his palm on Wolf's stomach, pulling the wrist and pushing against the stomach. The lupine flipped over onto his back, and the latter pinned the former on the floor, grinning in victory.

"Jesus… what? That was amazing! How the hell did you do that?" Wolf asked, out of breath as he looked at Fox with a shocked expression. Their faces were dangerously close, and Fox's face heated.

"My dad taught me some self defense for about four years. Judo was included in that," the vulpine replied, keeping his cool. He got off of the lupine and helped him back up.

"That was amazing. I can't believe you got me like that. I'll have to watch out next time," Wolf replied, grinning.

The two both started back towards their sides of the arena, and squared off once more as the bell signifying the start of class rang. Fox spared a look around the room, and saw some people fighting, and other using the range. Sergeant Myers, however, was looking at Wolf and Fox with an impressed grin. He must've liked the display they put on.

"Ready to run it again?" Wolf asked, raising his fists. Fox nodded eagerly.

"Alright, go!" The lupine shouted, but this time, he only started to edge toward the center of the ring. Fox knew he was biding time now.

The vulpine did the same as the lupine, right until they weren't two feet apart from each other, waiting for someone to make the first move. Tensions were running high, and a few seconds felt like a few minutes of staring each other down.

Finally, though, Fox decided to make the first move for once. He slugged a punch straight at Wolf's face, but the lupine blocked, stepping to the left and kicking the vulpine in the side. He grunted, backing off. Wolf rushed at him, albeit carefully, and aimed a punch for his stomach. Fox saw this coming, and grabbed the lupine's wrist, putting him in an arm bar before punching him in the shoulder.

The lupine grunted, and wrenched his arm away. Suddenly, Wolf grinned fiercely, and before Fox knew it, he let out a startled cry as he was tripped, and the lupine held him in a pin, holding his arms away from his face while he straddled the vulpine. Wolf must've put his leg behind Fox without him realizing! Smart move.

"Not bad, but I got you this time," Wolf stated with a smug grin. Fox rolled his eyes.

"Good that you can see some of my moves coming, but I wasn't expecting you to be careful. Looks like I taught you well," Fox replied with a smile.

"I'd say the same for you, Fox. You should be aggressive more often. You've got damn quick reflexes; they'd be great for offense," the lupine said, finally getting off of the vulpine and helping him. Fox nodded.

"Thanks for the advice. I'll keep it in mind for next time," he replied with a wink, walking back to his corner to run another session.

As Fox took a moment to catch his breath, he thought upon how he and Wolf were sparring. They were so even that they were testing each other's limits and forcing each other to try new things. Fox was certain that Wolf was the only one who could keep up with him, and vice versa. He had to admit, he enjoyed this.

"Ready to go again?" Wolf called, squaring off once more.

"Of course I am, Wolf! Call it!" Fox exclaimed, raising his arms defensively.

It was going to be a very long and exhausting hour, but Fox was looking forward to it. He was looking forward to pushing Wolf's limits once more.

-o0o-

The bell rang to signal the end of the period, and the two canines dropped their guards, sighing in relief. The vulpine was drenched in sweat, thoroughly drained from the sparring session they had over the past hour.

Fox undid his uniform top from his waist and put it back on his torso properly, as did Wolf. The vulpine was relieved he couldn't see the waistband of the lupine's underwear anymore. Well… it was more a mix of that and disappointment. They both grinned excitedly as they started to head for the exit of the classroom.

"We need to finish our sessions quicker so we can shower before the end of the period. I'm sure our flight tactics instructor wouldn't be happy about us showing up like this," Fox remarked as the two exited, starting to walk down the halls to the next class.

Wolf sighed. "I know, I know. We just got caught up in everything. We can start that on Monday. They have showers and a locker room in there, after all," the lupine replied, pointing back behind them. Fox nodded, not sure what he felt about that statement.

"Alright, that sounds fine. One of us needs to start keeping track of time, then," the vulpine stated. Wolf stared at him pointedly.

"That means it'll be your job," the lupine said with a grin. Fox sighed, rolling his eyes and nodding in defeat. He knew he had to before he even asked.

The two continued their walk to flight tactics, with the vulpine whistling softly as they went along. He liked the class, and liked learning more about how strategy worked, but there was only one thing he didn't particularly enjoy about it. And that thing was Fara, the vixen Wolf seemed interested in.

Fox wanted to actually see if he could get to know her, as a friend, obviously, but the way Wolf acted around her made him feel something strange, almost like irritation. But why would irritation make the vulpine want to drag the lupine from Fara forever? He had no clue.

Wolf and Fox approached Room 306, but the lupine stopped before he went inside. The vulpine looked at him questioningly.

"I've got to use the bathroom. I won't be long; I'll be there before the bell rings," Wolf said suddenly. Fox nodded in understanding, signaling the lupine to start walking towards a nearby restroom. The vulpine stepped inside the classroom.

He noted that like yesterday, the instructor, Mr. Hemm, wasn't in the class. A few students were already there and scattered about the room, talking about whatever they pleased. Fox saw Fara sitting at the same place she sat yesterday, and his eyes narrowed instantly.

Fox reminded himself to stay calm. Maybe he could speak to the vixen now that Wolf was gone. Yeah. She seemed like a civil person. The vulpine started towards her, making his way through the other students.

The vulpine arrived in front of her desk a moment later, and Fara looked up at him with a mildly interested expression on her face.

"Hey there, we've met before. I just wanted to say hello," Fox said. Fara nodded, crossing her arms.

"Hey. You didn't come here to hit on me like your friend did, right?" The vixen asked suspiciously. The vulpine raised his hands in mock surrender, shaking his head.

"Absolutely not! I just had a question to ask," Fox stated. As he was speaking to Fara, he realized he really didn't want to date her. Even if he actually had a thing for her, he didn't like to think about dating her. It didn't sound appealing to him at all.

"And what question would that be, Fox?" The vixen questioned with a raised brow.

"When you were shutting Wolf down yesterday, what did you mean by there's someone better than you for him?" Fox asked. He was genuinely curious about this, and found it a little odd for her to say that when there wasn't anyone else around.

Fara looked at him with more than a little disbelief etched on her face. "You really didn't catch that? I figured you would've done so by now," She remarked. Fox shook his head. What was she going on about?

"Mind elaborating on that? I really am clueless about this," the vulpine said, placing a hand on his hip. Fara smiled almost imperceptibly.

"It's pretty obvious to me, at least. And-" the bell rung for the beginning of class, cutting the vixen off. "I'll tell you at lunch," Fara finished with a sly grin. Fox groaned in defeat, walking over and taking a seat at the desk where he sat the day before.

Wolf walked in not two seconds later, sitting down next to Fox. The vulpine was incredibly frustrated at the poor timing of the bell. He had nearly gotten an answer from Fara!

"You figuring things out?" Wolf whispered as he settled in his chair. Fox shrugged.

"Bit by bit. I think I can handle it, though. I'm not as freaked out as I could be," the vulpine replied softly. The lupine nodded in satisfaction, and the two turned their attention to the instructor as he walked in the classroom.

Fox still needed to speak with Bill, however. That would give him some finality with his own mind. 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I know, it's a bit of a shorter chapter. I didn't know how to space this chapter, so I stopped it short for my own benefit. Writing is pretty tough without motivation, to be honest. Writer's block isn't helping, either. Anyway, enjoy the story.

-o0o-

A long class later, the bell finally rang, signifying the start of lunch. Fox sighed in relief. It seemed flight tactics was pretty difficult after all. Mr. Hemm had the class work in partners to decipher a flaw in one of the Cornerian Army's battle strategies in a previous battle on Katina, which caused a massive defeat.

Wolf and Fox figured it out pretty quickly, finding that the left flank of the fleet wasn't guarded properly and left a hole in the defenses for the Androssian army to breach. When they turned the assignment in, the two idly chatted while waiting around.

The pair of canines walked out of the classroom and started to make their way to the courtyard. Fox smiled over at the lupine as they walked along.

"That wasn't too difficult to do, was it?" The vulpine asked, referring to the class. Wolf shook his head.

"Yeah, it wasn't. I don't really mind that class too much, but I'll probably like simulators more, whenever the hell we actually get to use them," the lupine replied. Fox nodded.

"You and me both," he remarked.

The two continued walking on in silence, and eventually reached the courtyard and stepped into the crisp air. Fox glanced around, looking for a certain canine. He wanted to speak with Bill as soon as he could.

"What are ya looking for, Fox?" Wolf asked, nudging him. The vulpine looked over at him, unsure of how to say words for a moment. He cleared his throat, looking back away.

"My friend, Bill. I needed to talk with him about… you know… what we talked about this morning," Fox hurriedly explained. Wolf made a noise of understanding.

"Well, seems your friend is sitting over at that bench with Panther," the lupine stated, pointing to a bench underneath a tall oak tree near the center of the courtyard. Fox nodded, quickly making his way to them.

As Fox walked up, Bill smiled brightly, and the feline looked at him with some vested interest. The vulpine sat down by the dog, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous.

"Hey, dude! You wanted to talk to me about something, right?" Bill asked, looking at Fox with a grin. He nodded slightly, swallowing heavily.

"Uh… Yeah, I do. It's kind of private though…" The vulpine trailed off, looking at Panther.

The feline raised his hands in resignation, getting up from his seat. "I understand completely, my friend. I'll get Bill and I something to eat, and you two can chat. I won't be terribly long," Panther said with a coy smile, starting off to the cafeteria. Fox stared after him with slight confusion.

"Your friend is quite the character," Fox remarked, chuckling. Bill nodded fondly, looking after him.

"Dude, you got that right. He's awful nice though. Polite too. Guess I'm pretty lucky, huh, bro?" The dog asked, a brightness in his eyes the vulpine hadn't seen before. He rolled his eyes, deciding to get back to the topic at hand.

"Okay, so there's something that's been bugging me pretty badly now. Wolf had brought this up last night and in the morning, and over the day I've been thinking about it myself. And I need you to answer this honestly, okay?" Fox asked, looking at Bill. The canine quit smiling and looked at the vulpine seriously, which was rare from him.

"I will, I promise. Now ask me your question, dude," Bill said.

Fox took a deep breath. He was going to get one more answer, and this one would finish the puzzle for him, hopefully.

"Do you and Falco and the others think I'm gay?" The vulpine questioned, holding his breath.

A moment of silence passed, with Bill continuing to stare at Fox with a slightly dazed expression. He seems like he was thinking of something.

"Well…" The canine started. Fox raised a hand before he could say another word.

"I don't want you to beat around the bush or sugar coat it. Do you and the others think I'm gay or not?" The vulpine pressed. Bill sighed, looking up at the the sky. Fox did the same.

"Fine, honesty time. Falco, Slippy, and I, we've been your friends for longer than any of us can remember. It's something we kinda just assumed, dude. The three of us have thought you were gay for… like… ever, dude," Bill explained.

Fox felt something, some immense weight leave his chest. He expected a yes from Bill, but the reasoning? He didn't see that coming.

Fox, however, decided to accept it with open arms. He knew who he was at this point, thanks to Bill and Wolf. And he decided that wasn't such a bad thing. It was liberating to know exactly who the hell he was.

"Thanks, Bill. You three are right, by the way. I am, you know, gay. I've been trying to figure it out, and that hammered things down for me," Fox replied, looking over at Bill, who was grinning wholeheartedly.

"Hey, that takes guts to tell someone. I'm proud of you, bro! And remember; anyone tries to screw around with you, I'll beat em up, okay?" The dog asked. The vulpine chuckled, nodding.

"Thanks for the chat. I've gotta talk to someone else now. Catch you on the flipside," Fox said, getting up from the bench.

"Anytime. Take care, dude!" Bill called. Fox smiled softly to himself, and looked around the courtyard for Wolf.

The vulpine spotted him sitting up against another of the trees and looking down at his phone. Fox started walking over to the lupine slowly, glancing over his form. He looked a little troubled, as he was scowling down at the device in his hand. Fox frowned, walking to him a little faster.

The lupine looked up and brightened significantly at seeing Fox. He hurriedly put his phone away, and patted a patch of ground next to him. The vulpine took the seat, and smiled over at Wolf.

"How was that chat with Bill over there?" The lupine asked, scooting over so he was closer to Fox. The vulpine's stomach twisted up, and he struggled to keep his voice from shaking as he spoke.

"I asked him if he and my friends thought I was gay, and he said that they assumed that for years. So I told him I was, and he was supportive of that. I guess I've just fully accepted who I am now," Fox explained, looking over at Wolf's deep purple eyes. The lupine smiled slightly.

"I'm glad you figured everything out, Fox. I didn't mean to put that in you last night, but it's good that you've got it figured out. Uh… Yeah," he replied.

"Well, I'm glad you brought it up. Now… I've got to talk to Fara. She and I need to finish a conversation," the vulpine said, getting back up from his spot.

"Alrighty then. I'll be right here and we can talk some more when you get back," Wolf said as Fox started to walk off. The vulpine quickly waved at the lupine, too caught up in searching for Fara.

Fox glanced around the large courtyard, looking around. He couldn't find her at first, and he figured she was going to be in the cafeteria.

He didn't need to go inside, however, as the vixen exited the cafeteria just as the vulpine was making his way over to the entrance. Fara took notice of Fox quickly, and she waved him over. He made his way to her and quickly fell into step as they walked along.

"I believe we need to finish a conversation we started a while ago," Fox remarked, looking at Fara meaningfully.

"Did we?" The vixen asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes as they continued along. Fox snorted in amusement.

"We did. Now, could you please explain why you said that to Wolf? He's clueless about it, and so am I," the vulpine said, crossing his arms.

"Well, since you asked nicely. Let's see, I told Wolf that there was clearly someone better for him than me when he was flirting. Come on, think about it, Fox. I just met the guy, and out of everything I could've said to shut him down, it was that. Put the pieces together," Fara said, sounding exasperated. She stopped walking and sat down on a bench, Fox doing the same.

The vulpine stared at the ground intently as he absorbed what Fara was saying. Why did she say what she did? The vixen didn't even know either of them just then, and she chose to say that, of all things.

"Clearly there's someone better for you than me…" Fox murmured, trying to understand the sentence.

He wasn't getting anything, and it was frustrating. The vulpine knew the answer was waiting right in front of him, but he couldn't reach it. He growled in frustration.

"Fara, I don't know! Okay? I don't know! I guess I really am this damn clueless if you need to spell it out for me, so please do!" The vulpine exclaimed in frustration and anger, looking over at the vixen.

Fara looked… shocked, to say the least. She quickly recovered from this, however, and rested a hand on Fox's shoulder, looking him in the eyes with a fierceness.

"I didn't expect this, but I want you to listen to me, okay?" The vixen asked. Fox nodded slightly.

"Good. That person who I said was better for Wolf than me? It's you. You're that person," Fara finally said, poking Fox's chest.

The vulpine's heart stopped for a second, and he looked at Fara. He was… he was shocked. But that shock was quickly replaced by realization.

If Fara said that he was better for… dating Wolf… then he clearly had to be doing something that seemed like he was crushing on the lupine. The pieces soon fell into place in the vulpine's mind as he recalled everything he'd done and felt over the past two days.

He'd acted very shy around the lupine upon first meeting him. Fox also stared at Wolf every chance he could, and he couldn't rip his gaze away from those beautiful purple eyes. He noted everything he liked about the lupine, and when he was trying to flirt with Fara, Fox felt jealous.

How could he have been so damn blind?

The vulpine rested a hand on his forehead, mouth agape as he stared at Fara.

"I'm… I'm gonna go… okay? Great. Bye," Fox finally said, walking away before he could give the vixen a chance to react.

The vulpine nearly sprinted away from Fara, having no idea where he wanted to go or what he wanted to do. He… he had a thing for Wolf, and he didn't realize it.

But what was he going to do about it?

Fox wandered aimlessly for a few moments, trying to pick apart his thoughts and decide what to do. His feet eventually led him to Wolf, who was still sitting underneath the same tree. The vulpine's pulse picked up at looking at the lupine.

Wolf grinned at seeing him, and the vulpine sat down next to him, his face heating up. Fox didn't know what to say.

"So… what'd you talk to Fara about?" Wolf asked, seeing that the vulpine wasn't speaking.

"Oh… uh… stuff! Just some different stuff!" Fox sputtered, looking at the lupine with a nervous smile. Wolf snorted.

"Alrighty then, Fox. I guess it wasn't important," the lupine murmured, staring the vulpine down with an unreadable expression on his face. Fox bit his lip, trying to rip his gaze from the lupine. Now he knew why he wanted to do that. Or rather, didn't want to.

"Do you just want to go ahead and start towards our next class? I'm not that hungry right now," Fox muttered. Wolf nodded, much to his surprise.

"Yeah, that's fine. We don't really have any time to cook something, either, do we?" The lupine asked, getting up. Fox nodded.

Wolf extended a hand to help him get up, and the vulpine gingerly took it. As the lupine helped him up, he felt an urge to hold the hand tighter. He mentally kicked himself, letting go and starting to walk in the direction of his next class, Wolf walking next to him.

As the two canines made their way to their next class, Fox took the time to think on some more things.

He wondered if Wolf would feel the same way as he did. Fox didn't think so, judging on his moves towards Fara. He probably couldn't stand the idea of going out with another guy. The lupine was cool with him being gay, though. He didn't seem to have been weirded out at all.

However, that didn't mean anything, the vulpine realized as the two walked through the halls, his ears and tail drooping heavily. He probably didn't have a chance.

Fox was ripped from his thoughts as a hand rested on his shoulder firmly. He looked up to see Wolf staring at him with a worried look on his face.

"You look pretty down. Are you alright, Fox?" The lupine asked, concerned.

"Uh… Yeah. I'm good. Let's just get going to the simulators, alright?" The vulpine asked, walking a little faster and leaving the lupine behind. Wolf hurried to catch up.

"Sure, if you say so, Fox," the lupine murmured, confused.

Fox just wanted to get the day over with. He didn't know what he was going to do anymore. He didn't want to speak to Wolf, but unfortunately, there was no way around that.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Been a while since I've updated this, huh? I know it's been over a month, and I apologize for the long wait. Hopefully this chapter will be worth it, since it's my longest to date. I hope you guys enjoy.

-o0o-

Sadly, the individual and team flying simulator classes were just more safety instructions and rules and no flying, much to everybody's dismay. The instructor assured them, however, that they'd be flying after the weekend.

The classes passed by slowly, and the two canines exited the team simulator classroom and started back to their dorm room. Fox was still incredibly uneasy and nervous around Wolf, but he thought it wasn't fair to act like that around the lupine. The vulpine shook his nerves off and tried his best to make conversation, and he forgot why he was so apprehensive around him.

"Any ideas for dinner?" The lupine questioned as the two walked down the halls.

"Hmm… I guess you can decide. After all, I've been the one making all of the food decisions lately. You can make whatever you want," Fox replied, much to Wolf's happiness.

"Alright then. I'll think about it, and it'll be a surprise," the lupine remarked, nodding to himself as they walked along.

Fox decided to think on what was happening with himself and Wolf as the two grew quiet while they walked on. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell Wolf what he felt, and what the lupine would do when he found out.

They were going to go somewhere tomorrow, during the weekend, so that was a good place to tell him. Fox had no idea if he was going to run off, however. There were too many ways it could screw up.

The vulpine decided to wait until the time was right. He'd know when the right moment to make a move was. It would just take some patience and time. Plus, it would save some anxiety.

By the time Fox had finished the train of thought that he was on, the two canines had arrived at their dorm room. Wolf produced his keycard, and slid it down the lock, opening the door for him. He walked in, and moved over to the couch, sitting down with a sigh. The lupine collapsed right next to him.

"So tired. Can't wait for tomorrow," Wolf murmured with a happy groan, closing his eyes.

"Yeah. I'll check the time for when that bus comes around the Academy to take us into town. I think it's pretty early, though," Fox replied, looking over at the lupine and smiling while he wasn't looking. When he reopened his eyes, the vulpine snapped his head back in the other direction.

"Hey, I'm good with that. How about you go check that out while I cook dinner?" Wolf asked, getting up.

"My PDA can't exactly access the Internet, you know," the vulpine remarked, rolling his eyes. The lupine snorted.

"Use my phone. Password is D3NI4L," he said, tossing the device to him. Fox caught it, and turned it on, looking down at the cracked screen.

The vulpine inputted the password, and the phone opened into the homescreen. He was half tempted to look through Wolf's phone, but he didn't want to break his friend's trust. The vulpine instead went to the app for the Internet and went to the Academy website.

It was a pain to type in the bus times on the search bar for the website, but Fox managed to do it. He found that it arrived at about seven in the morning and came back every hour after that. It wasn't too bad; they could spend the whole day out there.

The vulpine just hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid, and make Wolf hate him. Why was it so hard to have a crush on your roommate?

Fox sighed, setting the phone on the coffee table. It was then that he noticed the smell of something resembling meat in the air. He unconsciously licked his chops, getting up and walking over to the small kitchen.

What the vulpine found was Wolf making burgers. Fox smiled, inhaling the aroma wafting from the stove. The lupine grinned over at him. Fox couldn't help hut notice the apron he was wearing that said Kiss the Cook.

If only, he thought to himself.

"Oh, good. You're done. Get the lettuce and cheese from the fridge?" The lupine asked bluntly. Sometimes the vulpine forgot that Wolf could border rudeness sometimes.

Fox nodded, opening their fridge and rummaging around until he found the things he was looking for. He grabbed the two requested items, and some tomato slices for good measure. The vulpine set them on the space next to the oven.

"These still have a while to go before they'll be ready. Go ahead and take a shower, or something," Wolf said as he finished.

"Alright. I'll go do that," Fox murmured, walking out of the kitchen and to their room to grab some sleeping clothes.

The vulpine decided on some sweats and a t-shirt, picking them up and walking to the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him as he entered.

Fox turned the shower on, and when the water felt warm enough to him, he quickly stripped and entered it, sighing at the comfortable heat hitting his back. He just stood there for a few minutes, taking in the events of the day.

He honestly never thought his life would be filled with drama like that. It was all said and done now, but it was still surprising to the vulpine.

The only thing Fox hadn't done yet was tell Wolf about his feelings. He didn't really know how to do that, either, mainly because he was almost certain the lupine wasn't gay. That was rather disheartening.

The vulpine quickly finished washing himself, and stepping out of the shower, soggy and cold. He grabbed a towel from the nearby hook and dried himself off with it as best he could. He ended up just looking like a ball of fuzz by the time he had finished.

Fox changed into his nightclothes, and walked out of the humid bathroom to the kitchen where he noticed that Wolf was busy putting the hamburgers together. The lupine looked over at him and snickered, handing him a plate with a burger on it.

"Oh, you look great, Fox," Wolf remarked with a grin. Fox snorted, walking to the living room and sitting on the couch, the lupine doing the same.

"You're gonna look the same when you step out of the shower later," the vulpine replied, flicking Wolf's ear playfully.

"Nah. I'd be way more graceful and good looking than you when I step out. I bet you fell," the lupine said, taking a bite out of his burger.

Fox did the same, thinking of a way to reply. The burger was really good, he decided while chewing. It was nice to taste homemade stuff instead of something you'd find at a fast food joint. He had to admit, he loved Wolf's cooking more than anything else in the world.

"You may look better, but at least I'm more efficient with my showering, I guess," Fox mumbled for lack of a better reply.

"Nice comeback, nerd," the lupine replied, chuckling. The vulpine's ears heated up, and he looked away, snorting.

The two finished their meals in comfortable silence, not sure what to talk about, as they'd been hanging out nonstop for the past few days. Eventually, Wolf took their plates into the kitchen and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

Fox walked into the bedroom while Wolf was showering, and climbed up to the top bunk of the bed, laying down and staring up at the nearby ceiling.

He wondered what Peppy and his dad were up to. They were probably flying to Venom as he lay there. Fox was worried something would go wrong out there, but even if it did, he knew his dad would make it out safely. After all, he was the great James McCloud the invincible. Off on a possible suicide mission.

Fox just hoped General Pepper knew what he was doing when he assigned James on that mission.

The sound of the shower turning off a few moments later brought the vulpine back from his train of thought. Wolf stepped into the bedroom wearing just a pair of shorts made his face heat up quite a lot, and it took serious effort to avert his eyes from the lupine's muscular figure.

Wolf then proceeded to turn out the lights and quickly climb into bed, sighing as he did so.

"Kind of strange that we're going to bed so early on a weekend," Wolf remarked from his bunk.

"Well, we need to get up early of we want to catch the bus to town. As much as I'd like to sleep in, we can't," Fox replied.

"I know, I know. At least it'll be fun tomorrow, you know? Just they two of us hanging out without anyone else," the lupine murmured.

"If only you knew," the vulpine whispered softly, turning over in bed.

"What was that?" Wolf asked quietly.

"Oh! I said good night, Wolf," Fox lied quickly, swallowing heavily.

"Oh, alright. Night Fox. See you in the morning," the lupine said.

Fox closed his eyes, seeking sleep. The events of the day had made him feel completely exhausted; who knew talking with people could be so tiring?

He did eventually find his sleep, however, and found it to be filled with memories of his father and the good times they used to spend. He felt nostalgic and rather sad.

A pit had formed in his hut that was full of doubt and anxiety that his dad wouldn't make it out, and it wouldn't go away.

Fox was truly worried.

-o0o-

The vulpine woke up, yawning and blinking the sleep from his eyes. Fox sat up and looked around, squinting his eyes at how bright the morning sun was. After taking a moment to adjust his eyes, he climbed down from the bed and looked over at the snoring form of Wolf.

The lupine had a hand over his eyes, and he kept snoring softly, dead to the world. His other arm was spooning his pillow. Fox had to admit, he looked adorable like that.

Wolf was busy murmuring something in between heavy snores, but the vulpine took no notice as he sifted through his suitcase for some suitable clothes to wear.

Fox ended up picking a pair of jeans and a plain green shirt, as well as a grey jacket to wear out. He made sure to get his scarf and pick up his PDA as he stepped out of the bedroom.

The vulpine grabbed one of the couch cushions and walked back to the bedroom, throwing it at Wolf to make him wake up. Fox quickly ran into the bathroom and locked it before the lupine realized what had happened.

He changed into the clothes he'd decided to wear, and he was glad that he was finally able to wear something other than that stupid uniform. It felt liberating for him. He was probably being just a little dramatic about that, though.

Fox went ahead and brushed his teeth while he was in the bathroom, and applied deodorant. He made sure to brush his fur down, as well. When he was satisfied he looked presentable, the vulpine opened the door and stepped out, finding that Wolf was dressed as well and sitting on the couch, yawning loudly.

"Morning, sunshine," Fox greeted him, smiling. The lupine replied with another loud yawn.

"Morning," the lupine replied sleepily. Fox sat down next to him, pulling his PDA out of his pocket and checking the time. It was half past six.

The vulpine looked over at Wolf, studying his clothing. He'd decided to put on a black tanks top and some jeans, and that looked to be it. He dressed simply compared to Fox. He must not care what people think, Fox thought to himself.

"We should probably get going. You going to brush your teeth or something?" The vulpine asked, getting up.

The lupine shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I can do that when we get back later today," he replied, getting up from the couch as well.

Fox nodded, and he walked to the entrance of the dorm, opening it for his friend. Wolf thanked him, walking out of their room with the vulpine following behind. He shut the door, and the two continued on down the hallway, making for the entrance of the Academy.

"What do you want to do when we get to the town?" Fox questioned the lupine as they went down a flight of stairs that led to ground floor.

"Hmm. I know I want to get some breakfast somewhere. Maybe we could go shopping? I have a little bit of spending money I saved up," Wolf offered, smiling.

"Shopping sounds cool. I have more than a little money I saved. It's not my dad's, by the way. He taught me to earn my own money and save it," the vulpine said. The two were walking into the main lobby at this point.

"Impressive. I'm glad you aren't the bratty 'my dad is famous so I can get whatever I want' type," the lupine replied, laughing. Fox chuckled as well.

"I used to be like that when I was small, actually. I eventually grew out of it, but some people knew me as nothing but a brat before," the vulpine said, grinning fondly at the memories.

The two canines walked out of the lobby, which was rather empty, being only half past six in the morning, and stepped outside to the parking lot in front of the Academy. After Fox took a moment to get used to the cold air, he saw a small group of students in a crowd, waiting around.

"Must be waiting for the bus," Wolf remarked, shivering slightly. Fox didn't fail to take notice of this, and he wondered why the lupine had trouble with cold. He had thicker fur than the vulpine, after all.

"You look really cold. Do you need my jacket?" Fox asked with concern laden in his voice.

Wolf looked like he was about to refuse out of pride, but then he nodded slightly, shivering once more. Fox took off his jacket and handed it to him, who accepted gratefully and put it on.

"You better now?" Fox asked. Wolf nodded in relief, zipping up the hoodie. The vulpine smiled, reaching into his pocket and taking out his PDA. The time read about ten until seven.

The two canines waited around in silence for those ten minutes until a bus pulled into the parking lot, stopping and opening the doors to let students on. The wave of teenagers trickled into the bus, with Wolf and Fox on the tail end of it.

The two ended up taking a seat in the far back if the bus, settling down. Thankfully, nobody sat right in front of them or next to them, much to Fox's relief. He didn't particularly like being in crowds.

"Attention all passengers. The drive to the town of Wenshell will take about a half hour. I come back to town to pick people up every hour on the half mark," the bus driver announced over the intercom. The vulpine made sure to log that information into his memory for later.

"Well, with that thought, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when we get there," the lupine stated from beside him. Wolf shifted around a bit in the seat until his was comfortable before closing his eyes and trying to get some shut eye.

Fox didn't really feel like joint the lupine in his slumber, but he felt exhausted as well. The vulpine slowly drifted off, finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. He eventually dozed on the lupine's shoulder.

-o0o-

The high pitched squealing of the breaks on the bus jolted Fox awake. He groaned slightly, getting off of Wolf's shoulder. The lupine was still asleep, he realized, his face heating up.

Fox shook Wolf's shoulder until he too woke up. The lupine looked over at him like he didn't know where he was.

"You getting off of the bus with me or not?" The vulpine asked with a grin, standing up and starting out of the bus. Wolf nodded sleepily, pulling himself out of the seat and following.

The two canines made their way out of the bus, and exited it into the morning sunlight. It seemed as if they were the last ones to leave, as the bus stop was empty and the vulpine could see some familiar students walking into town.

Speaking of the town, it was very nice looking.

The town- Wenshell, he remembered- was rather small compared to some of the other places he'd been, but it was still nice. Fox could see a road leading into a town square where a large fountain was located. The vulpine could see different shops and restaurants scattered about, as well. It seemed all of the building connected with one another on the outside, but that was alright. It looked more homely that way.

"Good looking place, huh?" Wolf asked from beside him, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The vulpine nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it is. So where do you want to eat?" Fox questioned, looking around the places he could see for something.

"I don't know. Let's take a walk and see what else is here," the lupine answered, starting to walk down the sidewalk of the street that led directly into town.

The two traveled down the sidewalk, glancing at the names of the shops and restaurants that were around. There weren't really any that caught either of the pair's attention.

Fox and Wolf continued to meander down the same street, and deciding they'd seen enough of that road, took a left at the first intersection they saw.

The two ended up coming upon a restaurant that looked very appealing to them.

It was a diner that looked to have an old fashioned theme to it, with a sign on the roof saying Miyu's in big neon letters.

"Want to eat breakfast there?" Wolf questioned, pointing to the diner with excitement. Fox nodded, laughing at the lupine's actions.

"Of course. Let's see what we can eat there," the vulpine replied, starting to head towards the place, with Wolf trailing behind him.

The two entered the small doner, and what they found inside was a welcoming atmosphere that felt old. The floor was made of checkered tiles, and the booths and seats had red leather cushions. There were painting and portraits of old celebrities on the walls, and there was a small bar in the middle where a lynx was busy taking a few orders from some customers.

The joint wasn't too crowded, but it did seem like it was popular with the people. Fox looked over at Wolf, who was glancing around the place with a smile on his face.

"Come on, let's go sit down," the vulpine said, pointing to an empty booth by one of the front windows.

The lupine nodded, and the two ambled over and sat in the booth facing each other. There were a few menus on the table, and they each grabbed one.

"I like the look of this place. Don't you?" Wolf questioned as the two looked through the menu.

"It's different from anywhere else I've eaten, that's for sure. All of this food sounds really great, though. What are you going to get?" The vulpine asked, looking up at the lupine from over his menu. Wolf was busy studying his own, those amethyst eyes glancing up and down it.

Wolf gave no answer, merely shrugging as he kept looking. Fox decided he'd have some pancakes because he wanted something simple. The vulpine set his menu down at the far end of the table, and watched the lupine as he continued to look for something to eat.

Fox wanted to tell Wolf how he felt, but he didn't know when he would do it. It was getting harder for him to keep his feelings under control, but he was fairly certain he was being obvious in his attraction to the lupine. Fara figured out easily, and she didn't even know either of them very well.

Wolf was just blind, then.

"Alright, I know what I want," the lupine stated suddenly, setting his menu down and yanking Fox from his train of thought.

"That's good. Let me see if I can get the waitress' attention…" Fox trailed off, looking pointedly at the woman behind the bar. The lynx nodded in understanding when she noticed him, and grabbed a notepad, walking over to them.

"Name's Miyu. I'll be your waitress today. What can I get you boys?" The lynx asked in a accent Fox couldn't quite place.

"I'll just have a small stack of pancakes and a water, please," the vulpine said. Miyu scribbled something on her notepad, and looked over to Wolf.

"I'll take a hamburger with everything on it. Fries and water as well," the lupine stated. The lynx nodded, and wrote that on the notepad.

"Alright then. I'll go get your meals started, y'all hang here for a while," Miyu remarked, picking up their menus and waking off, leaving the two alone once more.

"A hamburger for breakfast? Especially after we had one last night?" Fox asked dubiously after the waitress left. The lupine nodded.

"None of the breakfast food here looked that good to me. Besides, I love hamburgers," Wolf replied, grinning.

"I'll log that to memory, then," the vulpine remarked dryly.

The two sat there in silence for a few minutes, waiting for their food. Fox's mind ended up wandering once more, and he found himself wondering how he'd tell Wolf what he felt.

He knew he needed to do it very soon, however. Maybe I could do it today, the vulpine thought to himself. That wouldn't be such a bad idea, would it?

"What are you thinking about, Fox?" Wolf asked, staring at him with interest.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing important. Just wondering what my friends are up to right now," the vulpine lied, his face heating up.

"Liar," the lupine said immediately. Fox looked at him, his blush deepening.

"Huh?" Fox asked, not sure how Wolf called his bluff.

"You're not thinking about your friends. You answered me too quickly. What's really on your mind?" The lupine pressed.

I'm in love with you.

"Nothing! It's nothing, honest!" Fox exclaimed in panic.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

I wish I could.

"Look, I'll tell you later, how about that? This isn't the place to tell you," the vulpine stated, crossing his arms and looking away.

"Oh. Okay, fine, later," the lupine finally said, backing off.

Fox didn't much feel like talking after that, so he decided to look out of the window at the town. He saw people walking on the other side of the street, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend or two, and sometimes with a girlfriend or boyfriend. The vulpine sighed, looking away.

A few more minutes passed in silence while the two waited on their food. Fox ended up catching Wolf staring at him ages times, but he chose not to say anything about it. That did make the vulpine confused.

Finally, the lynx came back with an armful of food with her. She set the burger in front of Wolf and the pancakes in front of Fox. The vulpine licked his lips, looking down at the food before him.

"Y'all enjoy now! And when you're done, make sure to pay up at the bar," Miyu said cheerfully before walking away.

"Looks good," Wolf said not two seconds before taking a huge bite out of his hamburger. He hummed, grinning to himself and taking another bite. Fox thought he looked like a dork.

The vulpine grabbed a fork and knife and cut into his stack of pancakes, taking a bite from them. He had to admit, they were very tasty. Nowhere near as good as Wolfs cooking, though.

"This is really good," Fox murmured as he took another chunk out of the pancake. Wolf nodded in agreement.

The two ate in silence, enjoying their meals too much to speak. Fox decided he wanted to eat here again sometime; perhaps next weekend, if he had some free time.

Wolf and Fox scarfed down their food, and finished not too long after they started. The vulpine sighed in contempt as he pushed his now empty plate back.

"That was great. We'll have to come back here sometime soon," the lupine remarked as he finished his plate.

"Definitely. I'm going to go pay for our food, you can wait for me outside," Fox replied, getting out of the booth.

"Wait, no. I'll get the check," the lupine replied, getting up as well.

"No, I took you here, I'm paying. Let me take care of it," Fox insisted, giving no room for Wolf to argue as he walked over to the bar and in front of Miyu.

"Y'all enjoy your food today?" the lynx asked, handing the vulpine a check and a pen.

"Definitely. I think we'll be coming back here when we can," Fox stated as he scribbled his signature on the check and reached in his pocket for his card.

The vulpine paid for the food and left the restaurant shortly after, seeing Wolf waiting just outside, crossing his arms and looking out at the town with a toothpick in his mouth. Fox thought he looked amazing.

"Ready to take a look around some of these shops?" The lupine asked, snapping the vulpine out of his stupor.

"Uh... Yeah, I am. Where do you want to go first?" Fox questioned, looking around. He didn't really know where to go.

"I'm not sure. Let's just take a walk until we find something interesting," Wolf answered, starting down the sidewalk that order back into the town square.

The two canines walked around town, looking for somewhere to browse. Wolf saw a few stores he wanted to go into, but refused to go in them until Fox found somewhere he wanted to go.

As the two ambled down a sidewalk near a general store, the vulpine ended up snagging his scarf on a bush, tearing part of it. Fox cursed loudly, taking it off and examining the rip.

"Oh, damn it!" The vulpine exclaimed, looking to see if the scarf had been damaged anywhere else. It had not.

"Maybe we can get it fixed? That happens fairly often to clothes like that," Wolf murmured.

"I hope so. This just feels weird. I don't know, like some omen. This has never happened to me before," Fox replied, sighing and putting the scarf back on.

"I don't believe in that crap. It was just simple luck. Now come on, let's go find somewhere to fix your scarf," the lupine stated, continuing along the sidewalk, beckoning Fox to follow.

The vulpine sighed, walking with Wolf. He hoped he could get the scarf fixed. It was one of the most important things he owned.

-o0o-

The two canines didn't find a place that could sew Fox's scarf back together, so they instead resolved to see if anyone at the Academy knew how to sew. It was the best chance they had at fixing the item of clothing.

After failing to find somewhere to repair the scarf, Fox and Wolf visited a few stores the lupine found interesting. The lupine didn't actually buy much of anything, except for a necklace he found in the store they had just went into. It was a wolf's head attatched to a black string, and it was very pretty.

Fox had to admit, it looked very good on Wolf.

The two canines had ended up wandering to a small park they had found on the outskirts of the town. There was a path that snaked around some trees and a nicely sized pond before going up to a hill and looping back around. It was a nice change from the bustle of the shops and restaurants.

"Want to walk up to that hill?" The lupine questioned, looking over at the vulpine as they walked in front of the entrance to the park.

"Sure. We could take a rest up there," Fox replied.

The two turned and entered the park, starting to walk through the sparsely wooded area. The vulpine had to admit, it was very pretty and relaxing. He loved nature, and this felt like a little slice of it.

"It's beautiful here," Wolf murmured as the two friends walked down the path.

"Yeah. We should come back more often. I love this place," Fox replied, smiling to himself and looking over at the lupine beside him.

The rays of sunlight that broke through the trees landed on Wolf's face, making his eyes look so much brighter than they actually were.

He's so beautiful, Fox thought, and it was then that he realized he needed to tell the lupine what he was feeling.

The two continued walking up the path and started to ascend the hill they had made their goal. It was fairly steep, and seemed to rise up over the trees behind them. Fox and Wolf started climbing it.

A few moments later, the two canines reached the top, and gasped in wonder at the sight in front of them.

Fox swore he could see for miles around. To the north, he saw Corneria City and its monumental skyscrapers that seemed to reach for the stars. To the west, the vulpine saw the Academy. Over to the east, there was the ocean, a glittering sapphire color. The sights took his breath away as he sat on the peak of the hill, Wolf right next to him.

"I've never seen anything like this before," the lupine murmured softly, smiling and staring off towards the ocean.

"It's gorgeous," Fox agreed, looking over at Wolf, who held a blissful expression, his eyes closed. He was smiling up at the sky.

Make a move. Do something, the vulpine thought, realizing he was in the perfect position to tell Wolf what he needed to say.

"Hey... Wolf? I... Need to tell you something. It's been eating at me for a while now," Fox muttered. Wolf opened his eyes, staring at the vulpine curiously.

"What is it, Fox?" The lupine questioned. The vulpine took a deep breath, his ears heating up.

"It's not something that's easy to tell. For a while, I guess... I've been thinking about stuff. Well... You, specifically. I don't know, I guess I didn't understand before, but I do now," Fox started, stumbling over his words. Wolf raised a brow in slight confusion.

"What are you trying to tell me?" The lupine asked.

"Um... You're great. I'm really happy I met you. You're rough, but not mean, and you are good at fighting. You're an amazing cook, and you've shown me more kindness than I've been given from anyone other than my dad in a very long time. I'm… uh..." Fox trailed off, not sure if he wanted to continue or how he would do it.

Wolf's eyes widened slightly, as if he was grasping what the vulpine was trying to tell him, but he made no move to speak. Fox decided that he was going to have to get his point across more obviously.

The vulpine quickly leaned in and touched his lips to Wolf's softly, just for a moment. It felt more amazing than anything Fox had ever experienced, as if he was on a high. He also noted that the lupine made no move to pull away, and when the vulpine reluctantly pulled back after a second, Wolf sat there, dazed.

"Wolf?" The vulpine asked, his face burning from embarrassment. The lupine uttered something incoherent before regaining a small bit of his composure.

"Uh... I gotta go. Oh shit," Wolf stammered, getting up and running back the way they came, leaving Fox wondering what he did wrong. 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I know it's a much shorter chapter, and it's been a long while since I've updated this fic. I didn't mean to leave it for so long, but this is it. This is the last chapter. I would've gone longer, but I'd like to finish this story out, and then Heat, so I can work on new stuff. Anyway, enjoy!

-o0o-

There the lupine ran, away from Fox because he'd made a terrible decision. He didn't really know what to do, but going after Wolf seemed the best answer.

Fox stood up and started to run off in the direction Wolf had fled. He'd just taken off down the hill at a brisk pace, heading back towards town, and the vulpine was running after him, trying to get him to stop.

"Wolf!" Fox shouted as he chased the lupine, who was nearing the entrance to the park. He ignored the strange looks some of the passersby were giving him as he called, "Come back! I wanna talk to you!"

The lupine ignored him, causing the vulpine to growl in annoyance and worry. He couldn't believe he had just done that! It felt like the right thing to do in the moment, but clearly it wasn't. Fox probably screwed everything between them over, and permanently.

Wolf had exited the park by now, and Fox left not too long after him. For a moment, he couldn't see the other canine on the sidewalks with the other pedestrians, but then he caught a glimpse of grey fur heading toward the town square. The vulpine pushed through some throngs of people, determined to chase him. He wasn't going to get away.

The lupine wasn't going to he able to run from his problems forever, and Fox intended to face him as soon as possible. He wasn't going to let him go without giving an explanation. It was stupid of the vulpine to just kiss Wolf, but he couldn't find the words to explain his attraction.

Fox reached the town square, where a large fountain was spraying water into its basin, and people were walking around it on their way to different destinations around the town. He saw Wolf sitting alone on a bench facing away from the vulpine, hiding his face in his hands.

Fox almost decided to leave the lupine alone to work things out, but he knew their problems would end up getting worse the longer they postponed it. No matter how confused Wolf must feel, they had to talk.

The vulpine slowly walked towards the bench, and sat down next to the lupine quietly, so he didn't hear him. Fox glared down at the ground for a moment or two, trying to figure out what he was going to say. He was going to find the words to explain himself this time.

"Hey," the vulpine started out simply, causing the lupine to jump and look over at him. He looked away again, but Fox continued anyway. Maybe getting some stuff off of his chest would make their situation a little easier to handle.

"I don't know what you're thinking right now, but I can tell you what's on my mind. I know it was stupid of me not to explain myself and just kiss you on the spot, but I wasn't sure of how else to tell you what I felt. But... But I think I have the words to express that now," he started, gauging Wolf for a reaction. His ears had perked slightly, but other than that, he still wasn't looking at Fox.

"Look, this past week had been the most confusing one in my life. I mean, I figured out that I'm gay, for example. But it's been good at the same time. I met you, and I might not have realized it at first, but I really do like you," the vulpine continued.

This was when Wolf finally looked over at him. "Why the hell would you even like a guy like me? What do I even have to offer?" The lupine asked, his voice cracking. He sounded so unsure of himself and almost… scared. This wasn't the Wolf that Fox knew. What was wrong with him?

"Why do you sound so... Upset? What's the matter? Is it my fault?" The vulpine asked, concerned that he'd really screwed himself over. Thankfully, The lupine shook his head.

"You give me an answer and I'll tell you. What do you see in me?" Wolf asked once more, his gaze never leaving the ground. Fox bit his lip, trying to find words to say.

The vulpine gingerly rested a hand on the other canine's shoulder, and when he didn't flinch, decided to give him and answer.

"Well, I think that when I'd first lay eyes on you, I thought you were gorgeous, to be honest. Your eyes were the first thing that got to me," Fox started, his face heating up slightly. "But then I started to get to know you more and more, and I guess I really felt myself falling for you."

Fox smiled, his words coming easily now. "I love the way you know how to fight. We're equals in combat, and we test each other's limits. You're a damn amazing cook, and you make the best food. You get passionate and emotional about the things you love, and you love flying. I fell for you because of everything you are. There's nothing I dislike about you, Wolf," he finished softly, smiling fondly at the lupine.

The vulpine heard a small sniffle a moment later, and looked to see a tear rolling down Wolf's muzzle. "Nobody... Nobody has ever said anything like that to me. No one has ever liked me before you, friend or otherwise," The lupine whispered, finally looking over at Fox. His amethyst eyes were watery with unshed tears.

"Why are you crying?" The vulpine questioned, concerned for his friend. Wolf was too strong and tough to cry, wasn't he?

"Maybe it's time I told you something about myself," Wolf said, wiping his eyes to dispel the tears. He took a breath, and looked over at Fox. The vulpine looked back with rapt attention.

"I never had a good life. When I was born, Mom died shortly after, and my dad blamed me for her death. He beat me without reason... And worse. He became an alcoholic as well," the lupine started, his mouth twisting into a frown. He stood up and motioned for Fox to follow him. Together, they started to mindlessly walk down a sidewalk.

"I put up with his shit for years, waiting until I could leave him. I sucked at school, and my teachers treated me like garbage because of it. I barely made it through everything. On top of all that, everyone at school thought I was somebody who would beat them up just by looking at them, so I never had friends. And-" Wolf's breath hitched, and he closed his eyes. Fox looked at him in concern.

"I learned about the Academy about a year ago, and I knew it's where I had to go. I trained and studied as hard as I could, and I got in. I wasn't expecting to, really, and I knew I'd just run from home if I didn't get in. But here I am, in a new place where nobody knows me, and I'm away from my asshole of a father. I met you, as well," the lupine finished, a small smile on his face as he looked over at Fox with a warm gaze.

"I thought you were into girls, anyway. Not people like me," the vulpine replied, looking away. Just because Wolf appreciated the sentiment doesn't mean he felt the same way.

"Well... I think you've taught me a few things about myself as well," Wolf murmured. "I mean, I'm not gay. It's just..." he trailed off. Fox looked back over at him, and saw that the lupine was trying to form words, and couldn't.

"It's just me, isn't it?" The vulpine questioned hopefully, his heart leaping.

The lupine hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded, flashing the saddest smile Fox had ever seen. The vulpine's heart caught in his throat; he'd never felt so happy before! Wolf really did have feelings for him!

"It is just you, Fox. When I'm around you, I've got this feeling… it's really stupid to say, you know, but its just this good feeling," Wolf replied sheepishly.

"I understand. And... I'm sorry for what I did back there at the park. It was out of place, and uncalled for," Fox apologized, his face heating up at the memory. The lupine lay a hand on his shoulder gently.

"It's okay, Fox. I understand why you did what you did. It was wrong for me to run away like that. I guess... I'm used to running away from things," Wolf murmured thoughtfully. He stopped walking to stare up at the clear blue sky, and Fox looked up with him.

"You aren't going to run away from this, are you?" The vulpine questioned, looking at Wolf's face. The sunlight glinted off of his eyes, making them shine the brightest purple color. He shook his head.

"No, I'm not. I think... I think I'd like to give this a shot. You know, give you a shot," the lupine answered confidently.

"Is this your way of asking me out?" Fox asked, an amused smile in his face. In reality, his heart was hammering against his chest.

Wolf grinned. "Heh, I suppose it is. I'm not too good at this stuff, you know? This is my first time… asking someone this. What do we do now?" He questioned, his confident grin fading away and replaced by a look of nervousness.

The vulpine decided that if any time was the one to make a move, this one was. He brushed his hand along Wolf's, and gingerly laced his fingers with the lupine's. The other canine squeezed his hand, smiling nervously. Fox thought it was cute how nervous the lupine was.

He decided to make one more risk while he was there, as he'd gone pretty far already. Fox stood on his toes and kissed Wolf on the cheek, his own feeling incredibly warm. The lupine looked incredibly flustered, a nervous smile on his face. Fox figured that it all worked out well for him.

"We've still got plenty of time here before we need to leave. Want to go on a… a date?" The vulpine asked, his face warming even more.

Wolf smiled softly. "I'd love to. Where do you want to go?" He asked, looking around the area as if to find somewhere to go.

"Well, it's about lunchtime. Let's go see if we can't find ourselves something to eat out there," Fox answered, continuing down the sidewalk, this time with Wolf holding his hand. He couldn't have been happier.

As the two walked along the sidewalk, now hand in hand, Fox wondered where his life would go from there. He felt like he'd spend a lot of time with Wolf in the future, and that would be good, as cheesy as it sounded. It felt less like the vulpine had closed something off, and more like he had opened a new door, a new beginning in his life.

But Fox would go through that doorway with Wolf at his side. And that sounded pretty good to him.

END


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